Amek 51 Media User manual

User
Guide

1
User Guide
© Harman International Industries Ltd. 2001
All Rights Reserved.
Parts of the design of this product may be protected by worldwide patents.
AMEK is a trading division of Harman International Industries Ltd.
Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice and
does not represent a commitment on the part of the vendor. AMEK shall not be
liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from the use of information or
any error contained in this manual or through any mis-operation or fault in
hardware or software contained in the product.
No part of this manual may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, mechanical,
optical, chemical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose
whatsoever without the express written permission of AMEK.
It is recommended that all maintenance and service on the product should be
carried out by AMEK or it’s authorised agents. AMEK cannot accept any liability
whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by service, maintenance or repair by
unauthorised personnel.
Part No: MANMEDIA51USER Issue 1
Harman International Industries Ltd
Langley House
Third Avenue
Trafford Park
Manchester M17 1FG
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.amek.com

2
User Guide
This page is left blank intentionally.

WhyMedia51?·····················13
System Features·····················14
Frame Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Input Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
FX Return / Group Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Monitoring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Optional Extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Automation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
SupertrueTM
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Virtual Dynamics®
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3
User Guide
System Overview

Module Overview ····················17
Simplified Channel Path ·················18
Simplified Mix Paths···················18
Module Functions ····················19
Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Signal Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Mix to ST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
CH to ST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Multitrack Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Mix to Tks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Aux 3&4 to Tks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
LCRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
SS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Auxiliary Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Pre-Fade Aux Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Aux Send Mutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Expanding the Number of Aux Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Channel Path Inputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
48V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Line Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Gain Mic (Line). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Channel Path Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Channel Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Channel Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Channel Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1:1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Direct Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Insert Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Insert to Channel Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ø Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Mix Path Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Buss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Mix Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Input Flip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Meter Off Channel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4
User Guide
M1RN Mono Input Module

Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Filters In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
High Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Low Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Side-Chain Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Equaliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
HF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
HF Bell/Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
HMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
HMF Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
LMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
LMF Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
LF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
LF Bell/Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
EQ In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Mix Path Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Mix Fader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Computer Fail System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Fader Flip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Mix Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Stereo Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
LCRS Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Stereo Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Front & Rear Pan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
LCR Pan Responses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Wide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Multi-Format Panning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
SEL Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Solo in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Overload Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Virtual Dynamics®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Side-Chain Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5
User Guide

Module Overview ····················31
Simplified Stereo Channel Path ·············32
Module Functions ····················32
Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Signal Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Input Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Mono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Right Ø (Phase) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
M/S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Equaliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
HF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
HMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
HMF Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
LMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
LMF Q . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
LF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
High Pass Filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
EQ In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Auxiliary Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Aux 1-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Pre-Fade Aux Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Aux 5-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Pre-Fade Aux Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Stereo Auxiliary Sends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Output Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Channel Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Channel Fader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Computer Fail System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
PFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
PFL Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
SEL Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Solo in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Overload Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Virtual Dynamics®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6
User Guide
M10 Stereo Input Module

Module Overview ····················39
Simplified Stereo Group Path ··············40
Simplified Stereo FX Return Path ············40
Module Functions ····················41
Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Signal Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Groups to Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Auxiliary Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Aux Sends 5-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Pre Fader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Aux Sends 1-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Pre Fader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Aux 3&4 Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
FX Return Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Mono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Low Pass Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
FX Return Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
ST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
FX Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Computer Fail System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Solo in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Stereo Group/Line Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Mono Left . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Mono Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
RØ (Phase) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
M/S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Equaliser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
HF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
HMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
LMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
LF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Low Pass Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
High Pass Filter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
EQ In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
7
User Guide
M2 Stereo FX Return/Group Module

Stereo Group/Line Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Pan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
ST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Group Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Computer Fail System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Fader Flip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Solo in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
SEL Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Virtual Dynamics.® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
8
User Guide

Features ·························49
System Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Control Room, Nearfield and Studio Monitors······54
Control Room Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Main Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Mute & Dim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Nearfield Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Studio Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Monitor Sources, Modes and Speaker Format Selection 56
Default Power-up Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Monitor Source Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Stereo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
5.1 (wide). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Exclusive Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Mode Switches ·····················58
Mode Switch Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Format/Speaker Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Speaker Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Speaker Mute Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Mono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Pink Noise Filter Modifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
D/P Solo / Speaker Solo ·················61
D/P Solo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Speaker Solo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
D/P Mute / Input Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
D/P Mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Input Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Input Cut Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Direct / Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Direct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Nearfield Speakers ···················64
7.1 mode operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Alternate Speaker Level Trims··············64
ENC and DEC switches ·················65
Metering ························65
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User Guide
M3 Monitor Module

Multi Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Stereo Bargraphs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Peak VU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
AFL / Solo-in-Place ···················66
AFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Solo-in-Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Mix Fader and Inserts ··················66
Mix Fader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
SEL Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Communications ····················67
Talkback Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Oscillator ························67
Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
CAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Lining up the console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Auxiliary Send Masters ·················68
Aux Blend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Faders Isolate ······················69
Buss Trims ·······················69
Downmixing ·······················69
Downmixes from 7.1 to 5.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Downmixes from 7.1 or 5.1 to LCRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Downmixes from 7.1 or 5.1 to Stereo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Downmixes from 7.1 or 5.1 to Mono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Downmixes from LCRS to Stereo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Downmixes from LCRS to Mono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Phantom mixes from LCRS to 5.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
10
User Guide
FAQs
Q1 How do I configure the Monitor Section to work in standard Stereo Mode?. . 73
Q2 How do I configure the Input Module to work in standard Stereo Mode?. . . 76
Q3 How do I configure the Monitor Section for Surround Modes?. . . . . . . . . 77
Q4 How do I configure the Input Module to work in Surround Modes?. . . . . . 86

A Brief History······················89
DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Basic Principles ·····················90
Mix Processor ······················90
Synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Cue List ·························91
Recall ··························91
Virtual Dynamics®···················· 92
Virtual Dynamics®Devices ···············92
Easy Gate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Super Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Easy Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Compressor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Dual Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Gate Compressor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Autopanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Expander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Expander/Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
11
User Guide
Automation Overview

Overview ························95
Joystick Outputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Joystick Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Facilities ·························96
Mode switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Direct Input to 8-Way Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Stereo Input to 8-Way Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Mono Input to 8-Way Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Direct Input to LCRS Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Stereo Input to LCRS Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Mono Input to LCRS Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Routing Assignment Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Image Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Expand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Rev 5&6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Divergence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Cut Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
SEL Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Solo in Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Supertrue ························99
Level Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Fader Assign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
12
User Guide
Joysticks

Why Media 51?
The demand for surround-formatted, high quality audio material has never been greater.
Film,TV,Video,DVD,DVD-A,Digital Radio and the Internet continue to require programme
material which must be produced and mixed (or re-mixed) with these constantly developing
media formats in mind.
Media 51 addresses these demands by providing a cost-effective, all-analogue solution for all
multi-format Music Recording,Post-Production and Broadcast environments.
Media 51 can also be used for traditional Multitrack and Stereo Recording/Mixing tasks.
With Media 51, any type of professional audio project can be handled with ease!
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User Guide

System Features
Frame Sizes
Media 51 is available in three frame sizes:
•28 input
•44 input
•60 input
Functionality
System
Eight Auxiliary Send Busses
Stereo AFL
In-Place Solo
Bussing and Monitoring up to eight channels wide (with 5.1 panning per input module) allowing
for:
•Dolby Surround/Pro Logic (LCRS) ®
•Dolby Digital ®
•DTS (5.1) ®
•Dolby Surround EX ®
•DTS-ES (6.1) ®
•SDDS ®
•IMAX/Iwerks (7.1) ®
Input Modules
Media 51 is equipped with Mono Input Modules boasting a TLA balanced Mic Pre and EQ
designed by Mr Rupert Neve.
All M1RN mono input modules have two independent signal paths which can be used
concurrently into a stereo mix. The main Mix Path also features multi-format panning and buss
assignment for surround work.
Eight mono Auxiliary Sends, switchable between both signal paths.
An M10 Stereo Line module is available, with configurable mono/stereo Auxiliary Sends.
14
User Guide

FX Return / Group Modules
Four M2 stereo FX Return / Group modules are fitted as standard, providing across-the-board
audio subgrouping and stereo effects handling.
Monitoring
Comprehensive monitoring is provided by the M3 Monitor module which comprises:
•Multi-Format and Stereo Monitoring
•Mix Fader assignment
•Meter Assignment
•Auxiliary Send Masters
•Oscillator
•Talkback
•PFL/AFL and SOLO
•10 speaker outputs including Nearfield Monitoring
Metering
The console is fitted with 30 Segment peak-reading LED bargraphs in the meterbridge above
each input module with a separate switchable pair dedicated to the Monitors, reading a
selection of Stereo Buss, the Current Monitor Selection or PFL/AFL.
A set of six Expanded-Scale VU meters are fitted to the centre of the meterbridge to monitor
LCRS,LS and RS signals with Peak/VU ballistics.
The stereo bargraphs read Lc and Rc signals in 7.1 mode.
Optional Extras
All frame sizes carry the same feature set and can be enhanced with optional extras such as:
•A motorised joystick/panner
•A floorstand
•A chassis extender which can be fitted to either end of the chassis.
15
User Guide

Automation System
SupertrueTM
Media 51 is equipped as standard with AMEK’s proprietary Supertrue mixing automation
software, providing accurate control over fader levels, switch automation and internal/external
events via SMPTE and MIDI timecode synchronisation.
In addition, Supertrue provides total recall of all channel rotary controls on the console surface
with dynamic reset of selected switches.
Virtual Dynamics®
AMEK’s proprietary Virtual Dynamics® system is fitted as standard, providing 11 software gain
control devices per channel.
The Cue List function allows triggering of internal and external events against timecode with up
to quarter-frame accuracy.
16
User Guide

Module Overview
The M1RN Mono Input is a fully featured, comprehensive
module providing the necessary functionality for both
professional multitrack recording and multi-format surround
mixing with a Mic Amp and EQ section designed by Mr. Rupert
Neve.
Extensive panning modes and routing options allow ease of use
over a variety of recording and mixing tasks.
The module features two discrete signal paths, termed Channel
and Mix.
The Channel Path is traditionally used to handle input signals
going to tape and uses a rotary level control, whilst the Mix
Path receives the off-tape signals and utilises the main channel
fader to provide mix control out to the Main Outputs.
A4-Band swept Equaliser is fitted, which can be used in either
signal path or split between both paths to provide limited
concurrent EQ on each path.
Swept High and Low Pass Filters are fitted which can be used in
either signal path.
The Mix Fader is automated via the Supertrue mixing software
with integral recall of all major controls and dynamic reset of
selected automated switches, including both Channel Mute and
Mix Mute.
The Main Fader and the Rotary Channel Level can be swapped
between signal paths.
Virtual Dynamics® is also fitted as standard to the main Mix
Fader, and therefore follows whichever signal path the fader is
assigned to.
The Channel Bargraph Meter is provided in the meterbridge
above the module and is switchable between each signal path.
17
User Guide
Main Routing
Auxiliary Sends
Multiformat Routing
4 Band Equalizer
Phase & Insert Switches
Channel Gain &
Input Select
Channel Pan
Channel Level
1:1 Switch
Mix Gain & Input Select
Sidechain Switch
Mix Pan
Front/Rear Pan
Fader Flip Switch
Select Switch
Mix AFL & Mute
Wide Image Switch
Meter Switch
Channel AFL & Mute
Phantom Power
Stereo Routing
High & Low Pass Filters

Simplified Channel Path
The simplified diagram below shows the default Channel Path arrangement, typically set up for
recording to multitrack tape, with Auxiliary Sends 5-8 available.
Simplified Mix Paths
The simplified diagram below shows the default Mix Path arrangements for Stereo Mixing and
Multi-Format Mixing, with Auxiliary Sends 1-4 available.
18
User Guide
Simplified Channel Path
MUTE
Direct Output
PRE
POST
Aux Busses
5-8
Rotary
Channel
Fader
Mic Input
Line Input
Mic/Line PAN
AFL
Multitrack
Mix Busses
1-12
AFL
Busses
Stereo
Buss
Stereo Assign
Multitrack Routing
TLA Mic/Line
Gain
Simplified Mix Path (Stereo Mode)
MUTE
PAN Stereo Assign
AFL
Stereo Mix
Buss
PRE
POST
AFL
Busses
Aux Busses
1-4
Mix Fader
Filters EQ Insert
Tape/Buss
Tape Input
Buss Input
Mix Gain
Simplified Mix Path (LCRS Mode)
MUTE
PRE
POST
Aux Busses
1-4
Mix Fader
Filters EQ
Tape/Buss
Tape Input
Buss Input
Mix Gain
PAN
AFL
Multitrack
Mix Busses
1-6
AFL
Busses
LCRS (SS)
Stereo
Buss
LF/RF
Stereo Assign
Multitrack Routing
Insert