MINDPRINT En-Voice User manual

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Bedienungsanleitung
MANUAL
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MindPrint-EnVoice
ENGLISH
St.WendelAugust1998
Dear Recording Specialist,
ThankyouandcongratulationsforselectingtheMindPrint®EnVoiceTM asyourtoolofchoice
inyourquestforhigh-qualitysound.
TheEnVoicecombinesahigh-qualitymicrophonepreamplifier,anequalizerandatubecompressorinasingledevice;
thinkofitasacompleteoutboardmixerchannelstrip.Withthebenefitofauthentictubetone,itwillmakeyourtracks
comealive,addingnaturalanalogwarmthtoyourrecordings.Withtheadditionoftheoptionaldigitalinterface,itwill
fitrightintoyourdigitalstudioenvironment.
TheengineersoftheEnVoicedevelopmentteamarespecialistswithyearsof experienceinthefieldsoftube,audio,
mixeranddigitaltechnology.Thesesoundgurushaveinvestedtheirfullattentionandenergytodoingjusticetothe
needsandwishesofrecordingfanaticsallovertheworld.
Modernrecordingequipmenthasachievedaveryhighstandardoverthelastcoupleofyearsandpriceshavedropped
tonearlyuniversallyaffordablelevels.Unfortunately,thepotentialofthisequipmentisoftenunderminedbythepoor
audioqualityofinputsignals,sadlyineptconvertersandanabsenceofanalogsoundphenomenasuchastape
saturationandtubewarmth.
ItispreciselythesemissingqualitiesandfeaturesthattheEnVoiceputsatyourfingertips.Tomakethemostofyour
talentsandrecordingequipment,allyouneedtodoisexploitthem.Thisisaclassiccaseoftechnologydriving
inspiration.Youwillbeamazedatthedifference:living,breathinganalogwarmththatwillinvigorateyourrecordings
andliveperformances.

Table of contents
1 Layout of the EnVoice 7
1.1 InputSection 7
1.2 ParametricEqualizer 7
1.3 TubeCompressor 7
1.4 OutputSection 8
2 Controls 8
2.1 InputSection 8
2.2 BassEqualizer 9
2.3 MidEqualizer 9
2.4 HiEqualizer 9
2.5 TubeCompressor 9
2.6 OutputSection 10
2.7 TubesandMainsSwitch 10
3 Connections 10
3.1 MicrophoneInput 10
3.2 LineInput 10
3.3 LineOutput 10
3.4 InstrumentInput 11
3.5 DigitalInterface 11
3.6 ACPower 11
4 Applications 11
4.1 ThePurposeoftheEnVoice 11
4.2 TheEnVoiceinRecordingSituations 12
4.3 TheEnVoiceinPost-processingApplications 12
4.4 VersatileConnectionsforRecordingandProcessing 13
4.5 TheEnVoiceinLiveApplications 13
5 Tips and Tricks 13
6 Technical Data 14
7 Block Diagram 25
MindPrint-EnVoice
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MindPrint-EnVoice
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1.Layout of the EnVoice
1.1 Input Section
TheEnVoicefeaturesacompleteinputsectionconsistingofalineinputdesignedfor
standardstudiolevels,aninstrumentinput,andamicrophoneinputwithswitchable
phantompowerforcondensermicrophones.Youcanalsoretrofitadigitalinputby
installingtheDI-MODexpansionmodule.
UsetheGaincontroltoadjusttheinputlevel.Theswitchableinput/outputleveldisplay
givesyouavisualreferencewhichwillhelpyoudialinsuitablesettings.Ontheonehand,
youwanttheinputsignaltobeashighaspossible,ontheother,itshouldnotexceed+8
dB.Pleasemakesurethatthetopsegment(red)oftheLEDmeterdoesnotilluminateeven
atsignalpeaks.
Inthesignalpath,theinputstageisimmediatelyfollowedbyabasscutfilter.Itletsyou
choosealimitingfrequencyofeither50or100Hztosuppresslow-frequencyrumble,such
asthetypeproducedbyfootstepsonstageorinthestudio.
1.2 Parametric Equalizer
Theequalizerconsistsofonesemi-parametricbandeachforbassandtrebleaswellas
onefullyparametricbandformids.Allthreebandswereimplementedintheformofbell
filters.Thesefiltersletyouboostorcutfrequenciesby15dB.Everybandcanbeactivated
separately.Whenyouswitchabandon,itscorrespondingStatusLEDlightsup.
Thecenterfrequencyofthelowestequalizerbandisinfinitelyvariablefrom20to300Hz.
Youcan'tchangethebandwidth—commonlycalledQualityorQ-factor—default;
however,whenyoucutthefrequencyband,thefiltersweepissettoalowervalue.In
practice,you'llfindthatthisfeaturewillgiveyouexcellentresults.Whatthismeansis
thatwhenyoutweakthebassforabiggerbottomend,youwillboostabroaderbandof
frequencies.Conversely,whenyouareattemptingtosquelchbackgroundnoisesuchas50-
HzAChum,itwillbesuppressedinaverynarrowband.
TheMidbandgivesyouavariablefrequencybetween100Hzand11kHz,extendingwell
intothebassandhighranges.ThisEQisyouruniversalsound-sculptingtool.Itsvariable
bandwidthletsyoudialinaQ-factorbetween0.15and3totargetcutswithinanarrow
bandorboostfrequenciesonabroaderscale.
TheHibandcoversarangeof1.6to22kHz.Whenyoudialinanythingover20kHz,the
centerfrequencyofthefilterliesoutsideoftherangeofhumanhearing.Itsresponseis
thensimilartothatofshelvingfilter,however,anddoesnotinfluencethemidsas
drastically.TheQ-factororqualityoftheHifrequencybandisadefaultsettingand
remainsthesameregardlesswhetheryouboostorcutfrequencies.
1.3Tube Compressor
Thecompressormanipulatessignalssubtly.Althoughunobtrusive,you'llfinditdelivers
impressivesounds.Poweredbyahigh-qualityTHAT-VCA(VoltageControlledAmplifier)
tunedtointeractwiththetube,itgeneratesuncoloredcompressionaswellasthetypical
overtonestructurethatyouwouldexpectfromapremiumtubedevice.
ThecompressorkicksinatvaluesabovethesettingdeterminedbytheThresholdknob.
AdjustthecompressionratioviatheCompressionknob.Everysignalthatexceedsthe
thresholdvalueisdampenedattheratiothatyoudetermine.Thistypeofattenuationis
generallycalledgainreduction;itsamountisdisplayedina12-segmentLEDladder
locatedabovethecompressorcontrols.
Whenyouusethecompressortoshapesignals,signalslouderthanthethresholdpoint
becomequieterthantheywere,whilesoftersignals,i.e.signalsbelowthethreshold
point,remainunprocessed.Afteryouhavecompressedasignal,youcantweakthelevel
sothatthelouderpartsagainachievetheiroriginallevel.Thevolumeofthesofterparts
willalsobeamplified,makingtheentiretrackseemlouder.Furthermore,thevariation
betweenloudandsoftpartswillbereduced,sothatyouachieveamorebalanced,smooth
soundscape.Vocaltracksareinherentlyextremelydynamic;you'llfind,inmostcases,that
thesewon'tintegrateperfectlyintothemixuntilyouhavecompressedthem.
CompressionCharacteristic
Compressionisimportant,butyouwantittobeinconspicuousratherthanobvious.For
thisreasontheEnVoiceemploys"soft-knee"compession.Withthischaracteristic,the
compressionrateisincreasedcontinuouslyuntilitiswithintherangeofthethreshold
value.Thesignallevelabovethisvalueisthencompressedattheratiothatyou
determined.Whatthismeansisthatevenheavilycompressedsignalsarenot"crushed"
intosubmission,butgently"squeezed"whenthesignalexceedsthethreshold.
Inconventionalcompressors,mostproblemsresultfromsettingthecompressionrates
improperly.Toavoidsuchproblems,theEnVoicehasbeenequippedwithanautomaticrate
controlthatisprogram-dependent.Theattackandreleasetimeschosenbyourengineers
arefastenoughtohandleevenpercussivematerial.Buttheremaybetimeswhenyou
wantthecompressortouseslowerattackandreleaseratessoastoallowtheinitial
characteristicattacktransientsoftheinstrumentstocomethroughunalteredtoachievea
morenaturalsound.InthiscasesimplypresstheSlowbutton,andtheEnVoicewill
automaticallyactivatealengthierattackandrelease.
SoftKneeCharacteristic
PressingtheFilterbuttonactivatesfrequency-dependentcompression,whichisoptimized
forvocals.Withthebuttonpressedin,bass-heavysignalsnolongercausethecompressor
toover-react.Theresult:silky,shimmeringhighsandimprovedtrebleresponse.Forbest
results,experiment,especiallywithacousticinstruments!
The"soul"ofthecompressorisdefinitelythetube,whichhasaconsiderableinfluenceon
itssound.UsetheTubeSatknobtodialinvariablesaturationlevels.Thisknobgivesyou
precisecontrolovertheamountofovertonesthatthetubegenerates,fromfewovertones
atoneextremetoclearlyaudibledistortionattheother,andsubtleincreasespossibleall
alongtheway.Normally,ifyoucompressasignalheavily,itslevelisdecreased,andthe
Output
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Soft Knee Characteristic

tubedoesn'thaveenoughmaterialtoworkwith.Toadjustforthisfact,weinstalleda
circuitwhichtakestheThresholdsettingthatyouselectedintoconsideration,and
automaticallybooststhecompressedsignalbackuptoasuitablelevel.
Whenyoudialinhighersaturationsettings,keepinmindthatwhiletheTubeSatand
Thresholdsettingsinfluencetheamountofharmonicsthataregenerated,thesignallevel
alsoplaysakeyrole.Inordertoachieveaconsistentovertonestructurewhenthesignal
isonthevergeofclipping,youshouldexperimentwithhighercompressionratesinorder
to"prep"thesignaloptimallyforthetube.Whenyoudialintherightsettings,
compressionandtubesaturationmeshtoahomogeneouswhole,whichwillgiveyour
tracksjusttherightsheen.
TheLED(light-emittingdiode)locatedbelowthetubewindowgivesyouagoodvisual
indicationoftheTubeSateffect.Asthetubeentersthesaturationzone,thecolourofthe
LEDchangesfromgreentoyellow.Whenyoustartpushingthetubeharder,theLEDwill
turnred.Ifatthispoint,youdrivethetubeevenharder,youwillgenerateaudible
distortion.
Theremaybetimeswhenyouwanttousethetubecircuitrysimplytoaddovertonesand
notparticularlytocompressthesignal.Ifso,turntheCompressionknoballthewaytothe
left(counterclockwise,compressionratio1:1)sothatthesignalundergoesnodynamics
processingatall.Todeactivatethecompressorfully,youmustalsoturntheThreshold
knoballthewaytotheleft.
1.4 Output Section
UsetheOutputLevelknobtoadjusttheoverallvolumeoftheprocessedsignal.Since
compressionisaneffectthatinherentlyreduceslevels,ifyou'reworkingwithaheavily
compressedsignal,you'llhavetoboostitagainafterithasgonethroughtheVCA.The
Bass,Mid,andTreblecontrols,ontheotherhand,maysignificantlyincreasesignallevels,
whichyouhavetocompensatebyreducingtheOutputLevel.Todialinasuitablelevel,
switchthesignallevelindicatorintheinputsectionto"Output"andadjusttheOutput
Levelknobsothatthesignalpeaksatamaximumof+6dB,andtheredLED(+8dB)
doesnotilluminate.
TheEffectsbuttonswitchestheentireeffectprocessingsectionon.Thecorresponding
statusLEDindicateswhetherthesectionisofforon.Iftheeffectsareoff,onlytheinput
sectionisactive.Theincomingsignalisrouteddirectlytotheoutput,bypassingallother
components.
SincetheOutputLevelknobinfluencesthewet,orprocessed,signalexclusively—ithas
noinfluenceonthedryorunprocessedsignal—youcanusethelevelindicatortoset
bothsignalstothesamevalue.Thebestpossiblewaytojudgehowthecompressoris
affectingthesignalisbysimplyswitchingtheeffectsoffandonandcomparingthedry
andwetsignals.
2.Controls
ThecontrolelementsoftheEnVoicearearrangedfromlefttorighttoreflectthesignal
flow.
2.1 Input Section
Digital In / Analog In:Thisbuttonactivateseitherthedigitaloranaloginput.Ifthe
optionalDI-MODdigitalinterfacehasnotbeeninstalled,thedigitalinputisofcourse
unavailable.
Mic In / Line In:Switchesbetweentheanaloglineinputandthemicrophoneinput.
Whenyouselectthedigitalinputorplugacableintotheinstrumentjack,thisbuttonis
disabled.
Instr.Input:Thisinputissuitableforallinstrumentswithlowsignallevels,forexample
guitarorbass.IthasthehighestpriorityofalltheEnVoiceinputs.Ifaplugisinserted
intothisjack,theotherinputsareautomaticallydeactivated.
Input Gain:AdjusttheinputleveloftheEnVoicehere.Thisknob'ssettingaffectsall
inputs.
LED Ladder:Thisdisplayindicatestheleveloftheinputoroutputsignal,dependingon
thestatusoftheInput/Outputbutton.TheyellowLEDsindicatetheheadroomofthe
EnVoice,theredLEDstheamountofdistortion.
Output/Input:Thisbuttonswitchesthesignalleveldisplaybetweentheinputand
outputsignals.
Bass Cut On/Off:Attenuatesthebottomendtofilteroutunwantedlow-frequency
backgroundnoisethatmayhaveendeduponyourrecording,suchasthefootstepsofa
vocalistormusician.
Bass Cut 100 Hz/50 Hz:Thisbuttonselectswhetherthecut-offpointforbass
frequenciesis50Hzor100Hz.Forfemalevocals,thepreferredsettingwillinmostcases
be100Hz.Sincemalevocalsoftencontainfrequenciesthatdipbelow100Hz,withthese
tracksyoushouldgenerallysetthelimitingfrequencyto50Hz.
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MindPrint-EnVoice
On LED:IlluminateswhentheHiEQisactivated.
KHz:Adjuststhecenterfrequencyofthebellcurvewithinarangeof1.6to22kHz.
dB:Adjuststheamountofcutorboostoftheequalizerbandwithinarangeof+/-15
dB.Heretheaffectedbandwidthisfixed—youcan'tchangethedefaultsetting.
2.5Tube Compressor
Thetubecompressorgivesyouthebestofbothworlds—theprecisionofahigh-quality
semiconductorcircuitwiththesilkysoundthatonlyvacuumtubescandeliver.Itsnovel
circuitrydesignletsyoucontrolcompressionandtubesaturationseparately.
Threshold:Thisknobadjuststhecutoffofthecompressorwithinarangeof-28dBto
+2dB.Signalswhichexceedthethresholdvalueareprocessedbythecompressor.
Dependingonthethresholdvaluethatyoudialedin,thesignalisboostedbeforeitis
routedtothetube.Rotatetheknobtothefarleft-handpositioninordertodeactivatethe
compressor.
Compression:Itdeterminestherelationshipbetween—orratioof—theinputand
outputlevelsofallsignalswhichexceedthethresholdvalue.Asettingof2:1meansthat
whenthelevelofaninputsignalincreasesby2dB,theoutputsignallevelincreasesby
just1dB.Thecontrolrangestartsataratioof1:1(nocompression)toinfinite.Thelatter
isbasicallyalimitersetting—nofurtherincreaseoftheoutputlevelispossible.In
ordertodeactivatethecompressor,rotatetheknobtothefarleft-handposition.
LED Ladder:Indicatestheattenuationorgainreductionofthesignal.
Tube Sat:Itcontrolstubesaturationwithinthecompressorforallsignalswhichexceed
thethresholdvalue.Whenyouturntheknobup,harmonicovertonesaregenerated.
Slow:Switchestheprogram-controlledcompressorratefromfasttoslowresponse.If
youwanttocompressallsignalpeaks,chosetheFastoption,whenyouwanttopreserve
characteristictransients,gofortheSlowsetting.
Slow On LED:WhenthisLEDlightsup,Slowmodeisactive.WhenthisLEDisoff,the
compressorisinFastmode.
Filter:Thisbuttonswitchesonthesidechainfilterofthecompressor.Whenthefilteris
activated,frequencieslowerthan300Hzhavelessinfluenceoncompression,whichgives
youamorebalancedsoundscapeinthemidandhighfrequencyranges.
Filter On LED:Illuminateswhenthefilterisactivated.
ENGLISH
2.2 Bass Equalizer
Thelowestequalizerbandisasemi-parametriccircuit.
Bandwidthispre-settobewiderwhenyouboostafrequency,
andnarrowerwhenyoucutit.
Bass EQ:Thisbuttonactivatesthelowestequalizerband.
On LED:IlluminatestoindicatethebassEQisactivated.
Hz:Adjuststhecenterfrequencyofthebassbandwithinarangeof20to300Hz.
dB:Adjuststheamountofcutorboostwithinarangeof+/-15dBforthebassEQ.
Again,boostingaffectsawiderfrequencyband,cuttingaffectsanarrowfrequencyband.
2.3 Mid Equalizer
Themidrangebandisfullyparametric.Dueto
itsfullcomplementofcontrolsandbroad
range,itiseminentlysuitedtohandle
practicallyanysound-shapingtaskyouaskof
it.
Mid EQ:Thisbuttonactivatesthemiddleequalizerband.
On LED:IlluminatestoindicatetheMidEQisactive.
KHz:Adjuststhecenterfrequencyofthebellcurvewithinarangeof100Hzto11kHz.
Q:ControlsthebandwidthorQ-factorofthebellcurve.AmaximumQvalueof3willgive
youaverynarrowbandwithinarangeof1/3ofanoctavetoworkwith.Thelowest
qualityvalueis0.15,whichisequivalenttoaverybroad-bandrangeof6octaves
dB:Adjuststhe amountof cutor boostoftheequalizerbandwithina rangeof +/- 15 dB.
2.4 High Equalizer
Ourengineersdecidedtouseabellfilterfortheupper
equalizerband.Consequently,you'llfindthatthisEQwilloften
delivermoremusicalresultsthanthemorecommonshelving
filters.Equippedwithanamplecontrolrange,youcaneven
dialinacenterfrequencyoutsidethenormalrangeofhearing.
Thistypeofsettingproducesacharacteristiccurvesimilarto
ashelvingfilter.However,thistypeofbellfilterEQdoesnot
affectmid-rangefrequenciesnearlyasdrastically.
Hi EQ:Thisbuttonactivatestheupperequalizerband.
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2.6 Output Section
IntheOutputsection,youcanactivateanddeactivatealleffectsatonce.Thissectionis
alsowhereyoucanadjustedthebalanceoflevelsbetweenthedryandwetsignals.
Effects:ItactivatesallthreeequalizerbandsandthetubecompressoroftheEnVoice.
WhenyousettheEffectsbuttontoOff,onlythepreampremainsinoperation
On LED:Itilluminatestoindicatetheeffectsareactivated.
Output Level:Controlstheoutputleveloftheprocessedsignal.Whentheeffectsare
switchedoff,thesignalisnotinfluenced.Thishandylittletoolletsyouadjustthelevelof
theprocessedsignalsothatitisequivalenttotheleveloftheunprocessedsignal.Allyou
havetodoisswitchtheEffectsbuttononandoffrepeatedlytocomparethetwosignals
andtweakthisknobuntiltheyendupwiththesamelevel.
2.7Tube and Mains Switch
AttheheartoftheEnVoiceisahigh-qualitytubewhichisresponsiblefortheunique
soundofthecompressor.
TubeSatLED:ThistricolorLEDindicatesthetubesaturationstatus.Innormaloperation,it
willlightupgreen.Assoonasthetubeisdrivenhardenoughsothatitisslightly
saturated,theLEDchangesitscolortoyellow.Whendrivenevenharder,thetubeproduces
audibledistortionandtheLEDturnsred.
Tube:Notonlydoesthewarmredglowofthetubelookattractiveandvaluable,thetubeis
alsothe"secretingredient"ofthegreatsoundoftheEnVoice.Dependingonhowhardyou
driveit,thetype12AX7Atubewilladdanythingfromatouchofanalogwarmthto
unmistakabletubesaturationtoyourtracks.
MainsSwitch:InadditiontoswitchingtheACpowersupplyonandoff,themainsswitch
alsoactivatesthehard-wiredbypassoftheEnVoice.Whenthedeviceisswitchedoff,the
LineInandLineOutcircuitsarecoupled;thesignalbypassesthedevicecompletely.The
hard-wiredbypassisalsoactivatedautomaticallyincaseofpowerfailureorapowerunit
defect.Thisfeaturedefinitelyenhancesthesafetyofthedevice,particularlyin
broadcastingandliveapplicationswhereyoucan'taffordtohaveacircuitdropouton
you.Inthestudio,theEnVoicecanberemovedcompletelyfromthesignalpathbysimply
switchingitoff;again,thesignalisnotroutedthroughactivecomponents.
3.Connections
Withtheexceptionoftheinstrumentinput,allconnectionsarelocatedontheEnVoice's
rearpanel.
3.1 Microphone Input
ConnectyourmicrophonetotheMicInputusingabalancedXLRcable.Ifyouareusinga
microphonethatrequires48voltsofphantompower,pressthe48VPhantombuttonto
activatethepowersupply.Donotconnectanyline-leveldevicestothisinput,asdoingso
coulddamageeithertheEnVoiceorthedeviceyouconnecttoit.
3.2 Line Input
ThelineinputfeaturesabalancedXLRsocketandabalanced6.3mm(1/4")jack.Youcan
connectunbalancedcablestobothinputjacks.
ThepinassignmentsoftheXLRjackcomplywiththeinternationalnormIEC268-12.In
accordancewiththisnorm,Pin1isconnectedtotheground,Pin2carriesthepositive
signalandPin3thenegative.Ifyouareusinganunbalancedcircuit,besuretobridgePin
1andPin3.
Inthestereo1/4"jack,thepositivesignalisroutedviathetip,thenegativesignalviathe
ring.Thegroundisroutedviathesleeve.Whenyouinsertanunbalancedmonoplug,the
inputautomaticallyswitchestoanunbalancedoperatingmode.
3.3 Line Output
Aslineouts,youalsohavebalancedXLR and1/4"jacksatyourdisposal.Whenyou
insertanunbalancedmono1/4"plug,theoutputautomaticallyswitchestounbalanced
operatingmode.
Youcanaccessbothoutputjackssimultaneously;inwhichcasetheoutputoftheEnVoice
actsasadistributororsplitter.Ifyouwanttousebothoutputs,youmustusebalanced
cables.Simultaneoususeoftheoutputsinunbalancedoperatingmodeisnotpermissible.
MindPrint-EnVoice
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GROUND
MICINPUT
48VPHANTOM
LINEINPUTLINEOUTPUT
CAUTION!
TOPREVENTTHE RISKOF FIREAND SHOCKHAZARD DON´T EXPOSETHIS APPLIANCE
TOMOISTUREOR RAIN.DO NOTOPENCASE; NOUSER SERVICEABLEPARTS INSIDE.
REFERSERVICINGTO QUALIFIEDSERVICE PERSONNEL.

MindPrint-EnVoice
ENGLISH
3.4 Instrument Input
TheinstrumentinputistheonlyconnectionlocatedonthefrontpaneloftheEnVoice.The
reasonforthisissimpleenough—easyaccess.Forexample,ifyouareprocessinga
guitarsignal,you'llfinditmucheasiertoplugthecordintothefrontpanel.
Thesensitivityofthisinputwastunedspecificallytotakeguitarandbasssignals
directly.Withanimpedanceof1megohm,theinstrumentinputensuresthatthepickupof
yourinstrumentisnotdampenedexcessively.Withthebenefitofthisinput,youcan,if
desired,installtheEnVoiceintoaninstrumentrack.
3.5 Digital Interface
Ifyouareplanningtoworkwithdigitalmixersorhard-diskrecordingsystems,youhave
theoptionofretrofittingadigitalinterfacetotheexpansionslotlocatedontherearpanel
oftheEnVoice.
WhenyouequiptheEnVoicewiththeDI-MODmodule,thisupgradegivesyouadigital
input/outputinstate-of-the-art24-bitformat;anditisalsocompatiblewithall16,18and
20-bitdevices.Thesamplingfrequencyisswitchablefrom44.1to48kHz.Whenyou
synchronizeviatheinput,theDI-MODevenworkswitheveryfrequencybetween32and48
kHz.
SincetheS/PDIFinterfacesupportstwochannels,butthesingle-channeldesignofthe
EnVoicerequiresjustoneofthese,wemadetheanaloginputandoutputoftheS/PDIF's
secondchannelaccessibleexternallyviatwo1/4"jacks.Youcanusethesejacksto
connectasecondEnVoice,andthereforeyouwillnotneedtoupgradethesecondunitwith
itsowndedicateddigitalinterface.
3.6AC Power
The
EnVoiceisconnectedtoawalloutletormainssupplyviaastandardpowercable
connectedtotheACpowersocket.
Ifyouencounteragroundloop,youcanusetheGroundLiftswitchtoseverthesignal
groundfromthedevice'schassisground.Agroundloopisprettyeasytoidentify—the
deviceemitsannoyinghum.Inthiscase,setthisswitchtothepositionwherethenoiseis
canceledout.
4Applications
4.1The Purpose of the EnVoice
•Recordingdirect-to-disk
Intherecentpast,hard-diskrecordinghasachievedalevelofqualitytotallyunimaginable
justafewyearsago.Internalsignalprocessingwitharesolutionof24bitsguarantees
excellentaudioquality.Thenumberofchannelsandtracksislimitedonlybytheever
advancinglevelofcomputingperformance.Theweakestlinkintheaudiochain,andthe
majordifferencebetweenahomesetupandatop-notchrecordingstudio,isthequalityof
thesignalroutedintothecomputer.Noteventhemostpowerfulsoftwarecanbring
signalsbacktolifeiftheirdynamicsandexpressivenesshadtostrugglethroughinferior
components.Substandardmicrophonepreampsandthelessthanimpressiveperformance
ofinadequateconvertersinstandardsoundcardswilldefinitelyrenderasignallifeless
anddull.TheEnVoice,withitshigh-performanceinputstage(and,ifequippedwiththeDI-
MOD,24-bitconverter)suppliesanextremelyhighqualityaudiosignaltothecomputer.
It'simportanttorealizethatinthetypicalstep-by-stepoverdubrecordingprocessthat
takesplaceinadigitalstudio,youdon'tneeda48-channelmixerandabatteryofhigh
performanceconvertersandothergearcostingover$100,000tocomeupwithexcellent
results.WithoneortwoEnVoiceunits,youcaninsurethattheall-importantinputsignals
youstartwithareofthehighestquality,therebyguaranteeingthebestsignalqualityat
everystageofeditingandmixingallthewaydowntheline.
•Processingdigitaltracks
WhenyouretrofittheEnVoicewiththeDIMODconverterunit,youendupwithadigital
inputaswellasadigitaloutput.Thisinterfaceallowsyoutosendanytrackfromyour
systemtotheEnVoice,processitthereviatheparametricEQandthetubecompressor,and
withoutanysignaldegradationwhatsoever,patchitbacktoyourcomputerasadigital
signal.Toreiteratethepoint,theEnVoicegrantsconvenient,easy-to-handleaccesstothe
advantagesofbothdigitalandanalogsoundandletsyou"heatup"chillydigitalsignals
withtruetubewarmthanddynamics.Theresult:individualvoicesandinstrumentsare
highlightedsonically;you'llfindthattheyendupsounding"upfront"inyourmix,without
havingtotweakthevolumeofthesignals.Inyourattempttocomeupwithabalancedas
wellastransparentmix,younowownpreciselythesound-sculptingtoolthatwillhelpyou
getthejobdone.
62
35
INPUTGAININSTR.INPUT
BASSCUT
OFF50Hz
100Hz
DIGITALIN
ANALOGIN
MICIN
LINEIN
OUTPUT
INPUT
22 0 2 4 6 8 dB16 12 10 6 4 2
5
0
3
2
4
1
6
7
8
ON
LIN
HISAPPLIANCE
PARTSINSIDE.
ON LIFT
MAX.POWER
CONSUMPTION17VA
230V~/ 50– 60Hz
GROUND
CAUTION!
TOPREVENTTHE RISK OF FIRE AND SHOCK HAZARD DON´T EXPOS
TOMOISTUREOR RAIN. DO NOT OPEN CASE; NO USER SERVICEABL
REFERSERVICINGTOQUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNE

4.2The EnVoice in Recording Situations
Whenyou'rerecordingvocalsoracousticinstruments,thehigh-qualitymicrophonepreamp
oftheEnVoicewillmakethemostofthesoundthatyourmicrophonecaptures.Withthe
equalizer,youcaneliminateundesirablefrequenciesandthrowaspotlightonthose
soundsyouwishtoemphasize.Withthetubecompressor,youwillnotonlybringthevocal
tracksundercontrol-forcompressionisalmostalwaysneededwhenrecordingvocals-
butyouwillalsobringoutthekindoffinedetailsanddelicateharmonicsandthetypically
analogsoundthatonlyatubedevicecandeliver.
ConnecttheoutputoftheEnVoicedirectlytotheinputofyourrecordingequipment.You
mixingconsoleisthusbypassedcompletelyduringrecording.Thisisdesirablebecause
everyadditionalstageinthesignalpathdegradesthequalityofthesignal.Thefeatures
andfunctionsofamixerchannelarenotrequiredforrecording—youhaveeverything
youneedrightthereontheEnVoice.
Ifyouareusingsometypeofdigitalrecordingdevice,youcanroutethesignalindigital
formviatheoptionaldigitalinterfaceDI-MOD.What'smore,theanalogoutputcanbeused
simultaneouslyformonitoringpurposes.
Duringrecording,werecommendthatyougoeasyonsignalprocessingwiththeequalizer
andcompressorsothatyouhaveabitofleewaywhenyou'reeditingandmixingthe
signallater.Asyou'veprobablyalreadyguessed,theEnVoiceindeedcomesinhandyagain
duringmixdown!
4.3The EnVoice in Post-processingApplications
Ifthesignalwasprocessedonlyminimallyornotallduringrecording,youcanalsouse
theEnVoiceduringmixdown.Forthispurpose,useitslineinputandoutputtopatchitinto
theinsertbusofthemixingconsole.
Duringmixdown,youcanusetheEnVoicetoshapethesoundanddynamicsofasignalto
adaptittoyourarrangementforthebestaudioresults.Thisformofpost-processingis
muchmoreflexibleandthuspreferabletoalteringthesignalinreal-timeduringrecording.
Whenyou'reworkingwithadigitalrecordingmediumandyouhaveinstalledtheoptional
DI-MOD,youcanlinktheEnVoicetoyourdigitalsetupviatheS/PDIFinterface.
Simplyroutethesignalthatyouwanttoprocessviaadigitalinterfacefromtheharddisk
systemtotheEnVoice.Theprocessedsignalistransportedbacktotheharddisksystemin
digitalformviatheoutputoftheDI-MODandcanberecordedtheretoanothertrack.At
thesametime,theanalogoutputisavailableformonitoringpurposes.
Whenyou'reinsertingsignalsviathedigitalinterface,theEnVoice(likeeveryother
digitaldevice)addstosystemlatency—inotherwords,itcausesaminimaldelay.The
delayisnomorethan1.5ms,sothisisnormallynotaproblem.However,ifyouareusing
dryandwetpartsofagivensignalsimultaneouslyorseveralchannelsforthesame
signal,youmayencounterundesirablephasing effectscausedbythisdelay.Ifyoudorun
intothisproblem,compensateforthedelayproducedbytheEnVoiceusingthetrackdelay
ofyourharddisksystemorchanneldelayofyourdigitalmixer.
MindPrint-EnVoice
MIC IN
DIGI OUT
5
0
3
2
4
17
8
TUBE
SAT
2.5
BASSEQ
20
62
300
80
35 250
0
Hz dB
.1
1.5
11
2
kHz
7
3.5 .5
.15 3
.4
Q
2
.6 0
dB
.2
HIEQ
1.6
4
22
5
2.5 15
kHz dB
0
8
6.5
MIDEQ
TUBESAT COMPRESSIONINPUTGAIN OUTPUTLEVELINSTR.INPUT
BASSCUT
OFF50Hz
100Hz
DIGITALIN
ANALOGIN
MICIN
LINEIN
OUTPUT
INPUT
ON ON ON 22 16 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1dB
FILTERSLOW
ON
.65
ONON
EFFECTS
5
0
3
10
2
4
19
67
8
22 0 2 4 6 8 dB16 12 10 6 4 2
THRESHOLDdB
12
228
8
25
16
1
15 15 15 15 15 15
5
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3
2
4
1
6
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8:1
:1.2
:2.5 :3.5 :5
:25
:8
ON
LINE IN
LINE OUT
5
0
3
2
4
17
8
TUBE
SAT
2.5
BASSEQ
20
62
300
80
35 250
0
Hz dB
.1
1.5
11
2
kHz
7
3.5 .5
.15 3
.4
Q
2
.6 0
dB
.2
HIEQ
1.6
4
22
5
2.5 15
kHz dB
0
8
6.5
MIDEQ
TUBESAT COMPRESSIONINPUTGAIN OUTPUTLEVELINSTR.INPUT
BASSCUT
OFF50Hz
100Hz
DIGITALIN
ANALOGIN
MICIN
LINEIN
OUTPUT
INPUT
ON ON ON 22 16 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1dB
FILTERSLOW
ON
.65
ONON
EFFECTS
5
0
3
10
2
4
19
67
8
22 0 2 4 6 8 dB16 12 10 6 4 2
THRESHOLDdB
12
228
8
25
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1
15 15 15 15 15 15
5
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3
2
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1
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8:1
:1.2
:2.5 :3.5 :5
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ON
LINE OUT
DIGI IN DIGI OUT
5
0
3
2
4
17
8
TUBE
SAT
2.5
BASSEQ
20
62
300
80
35 250
0
Hz dB
.1
1.5
11
2
kHz
7
3.5 .5
.15 3
.4
Q
2
.6 0
dB
.2
HIEQ
1.6
4
22
5
2.5 15
kHz dB
0
8
6.5
MIDEQ
TUBESAT COMPRESSIONINPUTGAIN OUTPUTLEVELINSTR.INPUT
BASSCUT
OFF50Hz
100Hz
DIGITALIN
ANALOGIN
MICIN
LINEIN
OUTPUT
INPUT
ON ON ON 22 16 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1dB
FILTERSLOW
ON
.65
ONON
EFFECTS
5
0
3
10
2
4
19
67
8
22 0 2 4 6 8 dB16 12 10 6 4 2
THRESHOLDdB
12
228
8
25
16
1
15 15 15 15 15 15
5
0
3
2
4
1
6
7
8:1
:1.2
:2.5 :3.5 :5
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:8
ON

MindPrint-EnVoice
ENGLISH
4.4Versatile Connections for Recording and
Processing
Withitsmanyconnectionoptionsandinputselectorbuttons,youcanconnecttheEnVoice
sothatyoucanuseitforbothrecordingandpost-processingwithouthavingtogothrough
thehassleofreconnectingcablesorusingapatchbay.Inananalogenvironment,your
setupshouldlooklikethis:
Duringrecording,themicrophonesignalisroutedthroughtheEnVoice,thenontothe
mixingconsole,andfromthere,viaasubgroup,tothedesiredtrackoftherecorder.During
playback,thesignalissentfromtheoutputoftherecordertothelineinputoftheEnVoice
andfromthere,tothechannelstripofthemixer.UsetheMicIn/LineInbuttonto
determinewhetheryouwanttousetheEnVoiceforrecordingorpost-processingpurposes.
WiththehelpoftheDI-MODexpansion,youcanexploittheversatilesignalroutingoptions
oftheEnVoiceinadigitalenvironment.Hereyourcableconnectionsshouldresemblethe
setupinthefollowingdiagram:
Inthisscenario,themicrophonesignalisalsofirstsenttotheEnVoiceandthen,indigital
form,ontotheharddisksystem.Duringmixdown,thesignalisroutedfromtheharddisk
systembacktotheEnVoiceviatheS/PDIFinterface.UsetheDigitalIn/AnalogInbuttonto
determineifyouwanttousetheEnVoiceforpost-processingorrecordingpurposes.You
canreturntheoutputsignaloftheEnVoicedirectlytotheharddisksystemviathedigital
outputandhavethecomputer'ssoundcardplayitbackviayourcomputersystem.Keepin
mindthatthesignalisalsosenttotheanaloglineoutoftheEnVoice,sothatyoucan
simultaneouslyuseitforhybridsystemswithananalogmixerorformonitoringpurposes.
4.5The EnVoice in LiveApplications
AlthoughtheEnVoicewasprimarilydevelopedforrecordingpurposes,itactuallywears
manyhats—you'llfindthatitisanexcellenttoolforliveapplications.Ifyouarethe
proudownerofaguitarracksystem,youcanpatchitinpost-preampandpre-poweramp
tocompressyourinstrument'ssignal.Whenyouplaygigsthatyoucan'tbebotheredto
toteyourentirerigto,simplyplugyourguitarintotheinstrumentinputandfeedthe
outputsignaldirectlytothemixingconsole;theEnVoicethusbecomesaconvenienttube
DIbox.Forprocessingvocals,youcanpatchtheEnVoiceintoamixerinsertjustasyou
wouldaneffectsdevice,sothattheamplifiedsoundofyourvoiceenjoysthebenefitsof
thosedesirabletubecharacteristics.
5Tips andTricks
5.1 Switching noise
AlloftheEnVoiceOnbuttonsarerealhardwareswitches.Thismeansthat,ratherthanjust
beingdeactivated,theprocessingstagesareactuallyremovedfromthesignalpath.While
removingunnecessarystagesfromthecircuitenhancesaudioquality,theseswitches
sometimescauseundesirableclickingorpoppingnoises,whichareproducedbysudden
surgesinamplitude.Yourbestbetistoforgetaboutswitchingindividualequalizerbands
ortheentireeffectschainonandoffduringrecordingorprocessingwiththeEnVoice.
5.2 Over-the-top distortion
Thetubecompressoractsuponallsignalsthatlieabovethethresholdvalue.Moreover,
thesaturationofthetubewillfluctuatedependingonhowhighthesignallevelis.Tokeep
thesaturationfairlyeven,thecompressorshouldbeusedtokeepthesignallevelas
steadyaspossible.Ifyoudialinalowthresholdvalueandahighsaturationlevel,the
tubewillbedrivenhardenoughtoproducefairlyheavydistortionatsignalpeaks.Inthis
case,youshouldincreasethecompressionratiotoreducethesesignalpeaks.Ifyoudon't
wantquitethismuchsignalprocessing,youshoulddialinlowerthresholdandsaturation
values.
MIC IN LINE OUT
GROUP OUT
IN
OUT
LINE IN
5
0
3
2
4
17
8
TUBE
SAT
2.5
BASSEQ
20
62
300
80
35 250
0
Hz dB
.1
1.5
11
2
kHz
7
3.5 .5
.15 3
.4
Q
2
.6 0
dB
.2
HIEQ
1.6
4
22
5
2.5 15
kHz dB
0
8
6.5
MIDEQ
TUBESAT COMPRESSIONINPUTGAIN OUTPUTLEVELINSTR.INPUT
BASSCUT
OFF50Hz
100Hz
DIGITALIN
ANALOGIN
MICIN
LINEIN
OUTPUT
INPUT
ON ON ON 22 16 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1d B
FILTERSLOW
ON
.65
ONON
EFFECTS
5
0
3
10
2
4
19
67
8
22 0 2 4 6 8dB16 12 10 6 4 2
THRESHOLDdB
12
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:1.2
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:25
:8
ON
MIC IN LINE OUT
DIGI IN DIGI OUT
MONITOR OUT
5
0
3
2
4
17
8
TUBE
SAT
2.5
BASSEQ
20
62
300
80
35 250
0
Hz dB
.1
1.5
11
2
kHz
7
3.5 .5
.15 3
.4
Q
2
.6 0
dB
.2
HIEQ
1.6
4
22
5
2.5 15
kHz dB
0
8
6.5
MIDEQ
TUBESAT COMPRESSIONINPUTGAIN OUTPUTLEVELINSTR.INPUT
BASSCUT
OFF50Hz
100Hz
DIGITALIN
ANALOGIN
MICIN
LINEIN
OUTPUT
INPUT
ON ON ON 22 16 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1d B
FILTERSLOW
ON
.65
ONON
EFFECTS
5
0
3
10
2
4
19
67
8
22 0 2 4 6 8dB16 12 10 6 4 2
THRESHOLDdB
12
228
8
25
16
1
15 15 15 15 15 15
5
0
3
2
4
1
6
7
8:1
:1.2
:2.5 :3.5 :5
:25
:8
ON

7Technical specifications
Inputs
LINE IN:
Connections: XLR(pin1=ground;pin2=+;pin3=-)and1/4"(tip=+;ring=-;sleeve=ground)
Inputtype: electronicallybalancedandfloating
Inputimpedance: 22 kOhm
Sensitivity: 0dB
Max.inputlevel: +20dB
MIC IN:
Connectiontype: XLR (pin1=ground;pin2=+;pin3=-)
Inputtype: electronicallybalancedandfloating
Inputimpedance: 10 kOhm
Sensitivity: -20dB
Max.Inputlevel:-2dB
INSTRUMENT IN:
Connectiontype: 1/4" (tip=+;ring=-);whenoccupied,takespriorityoverLine/Micswitch
Inputtype: unbalanced
Inputimpedance: 470 kOhm
Sensitivity: -10dB
Maximuminput level: +16dB
DIGITALIN: onlywithoptional DI-MOD(seebelow)
EQ Section:
BASSCUT:
Switchable: onoroff
Shelvingfrequency: 50Hzor100Hz,switch-selectable
Cut50/ 100Hz: 3dB
Slope: 6dB/ oct.
BASSEQ:
Switchable: onoroff
Centerfrequency: adjustablefrom20Hzto300Hz
Boost: 15dB
Boostslope: 6 dB/oct.
Cut: 15dB
Cutslope: 12 dB/oct.
MIDEQ:
Switchable: onoroff
Centerfrequency: adjustablefrom100Hzto11kHz
Boost: 15dB
Cut: 15dB
Slope: 3dB/oct.-24dB/oct.(dependentonsettingofQ-factor)
HIGHEQ:
Switchable: onoroff
Centerfrequency: adjustablefrom11kHzto22kHz
Boost: 15dB
Cut: 15dB
Slope: 6dB/ oct.
Effect Section:
Switchable: onoroff
Tube Section:
TUBESAT:
Distortion: adjustablebetween 0.1%and10%
Trebleboost: from0dBto2dBbetween4kHzand22kHz(TubeSatcontrol)
Compressor Section:
THRESHOLD: adjustablebetween +2dBand-28dB
COMPRESSION: adjustablefrom1:1to1:infinity
Attack/Release: switchablesloworfast
Attacktime(fast): 15ms
Releasetime (fast): 60ms
Attacktime(slow): 150ms
Releasetime (slow): 600ms
FILTER: switchableon oroff
Frequencyrange: Compressorcontrolcircuitrybecomeslesssesitivetobass-heavymaterialfrom300Hz
down,6dB/octave
Outputs:
LINE OUT:
Connections: XLR(1 =ground;2=+;3=-)and1/4"(tip =+;ring=-; sleeve=ground)
Type Output: electronicallybalancedandfloating
Outputimpedance: 220 Ohm
Max.outputlevel: +20dB
DISTORTION:
EffectSection off: 0.001%,MICIN,10Hz -22kHz@-15dBInput and0dBOutput
0.001%,LINEIN,10Hz-22 kHz@0dBInputand0dB Output
0.001%,INSTR.IN,10Hz-22kHz@-10dBInputand0dBOutput
EffectSection on: 0.04%,MICIN,10Hz-22kHz@-15dBInputand0dBOutput
0.04%,LINEIN,10Hz-22 kHz@0dBInputand0dB Output
0.04%,INSTR.IN,10Hz-22kHz@ -10dBInputand0dBOutputwith TUBE SAT=0
FREQUENCY RANGE:
EffectSection off: 10Hz-22kHz,±0.2dB
EffectSection on: 10Hz-22kHz,±1dB
DYNAMIC RANGE:
EffectSection off: 122dB,MICIN,10Hz-22 kHz@-15dBInputand0dB Output
102dB,LINEIN,10Hz-22kHz@0 dBInputand0dBOutput
106dB,INSTIN,10Hz-22kHz@0 dBInputand0dBOutput
EffectSection on: 112dB,MICIN,10Hz-22 kHz@-15dBInputand0dB Output
92dB,LINEIN,10Hz-22kHz@0 dBInputand0dBOutput
90dB,INSTIN,10Hz-22kHz@0 dBInputand0dBOutput
Allvalues unweighted.
BYPASS:
Whenpower isremovedfromtheunit,LINEIN ishardwiredtoLINEOUT.
General specifications:
Theunit isavailableinthreeversions: 230-volt,117-volt,and100-volt, ProtectionClassI
Powersupply fuse,internal 230volts/160mAT
117volts/315 mAT
100volts/315 mAT
max.currentdraw: 82mA(92mAmitDI-MOD )@230voltsAC
max.powerconsumption: 22VA
Dimensions: Width:482mm(19") Height:44mm(1.75") Depth:238mm(9.4")
Rackdimensions: 19”,1U Depth inrack:222mm(8.75") Protrusionofcontrols:16mm(5/8")
Weight: 3.44kg(7.6lbs.);3.55kg(7.8lbs.)withDI-MODinstalled
OPTION: DI-MOD:S/P-DIFI/O-card,stereo
MindPrint-EnVoice