Rane AM2 User manual

Manual-1
AM2
AUTOMATIC MIXER
OPERATORS MANUAL
WEAR PARTS: is product contains no wear parts.
QUICK START
If you’re setting up the AM2 automixer, then this Quick Start is
for you. It’s intended to get your audio working quickly in just
422 words.
Plug microphones into the Mic Inputs using standard XLR
mic cables. Condenser mics need the MIC +48V switch position.
Use the MIC +0V middle position for dynamic mics. e LINE
position is used when a wireless microphone’s receiver output is
connected.
Connect the Main Output XLR to your amplier or powered
loudspeaker and select the LINE switch position. If the Main
Output feeds a microphone input, select the MIC position.
Start with the gray OUTPUT LEVEL knob turned all the
way down – fully counterclockwise. One at a time for each mic,
talk very loudly and very closely to the mic and adjust the cor-
responding black LEVEL control so only the loudest speech just
barely ickers the red overload (OL) indicators. Once the input
gains are set, the AM2 automatically controls the mic mix to
avoid feedback. (You won’t need to ride these controls.)
Turn on the amplier/loudspeaker and turn it up about half
way. Also turn the OUTPUT LEVEL knob up until the volume
is appropriate for your application.
AM2
AUTOMIXER
POWER
LOCATE
OUTIN
CASCADE
RAD
1
MIC INPUTS
SIG OL
2
SIG OLLEVEL
3
SIG OLLEVEL
4
SIG OLLEVEL
5
SIG OLLEVEL
6
SIG OLLEVEL
7
SIG OLLEVEL
8
SIG OLLEVEL
OUTPUT
SIG OLLEVELLEVEL
POWER
COMM
AUDIO RX
AUDIO TX
If the system feeds back (that horrible squeal), your mics
are hearing too much from your loudspeakers. First try moving
the mics farther from the loudspeaker and/or pointing the mics
and loudspeakers away from each other. Next, try turning down
the gain on the amplier or loudspeaker. If this does not reduce
feedback, don’t reach for the black Mic Input knobs, instead turn
down the OUTPUT LEVEL.
Daisy-chain up to eight AM2s together by connecting
CASCADE IN to CASCADE OUT. e Main Output on each
AM2 delivers a gain-sharing automix of it’s Mic Inputs and all
upstream Inputs. is means the mix of all Mic Inputs is on the
Main Output of the last AM2 in the daisy-chain. ough each
AM2’s OUTPUT LEVEL control always adjusts the volume of
it’s respective XLR OUTPUT, the last OUTPUT LEVEL aects
all Mic Inputs to it’s Main Output including the RAD PORT.
If your AM2(s) connect to a Rane Mongoose, the last AM2
in the cascade needs its RAD PORT connected with a shielded
CAT5 cable to one of the Rane Mongoose’s rear panel Remote
Audio Device ports. Some systems may provide a wall plate loca-
tion to connect the RAD Port cable.
If you have line sources such as iPods® or CD/DVD players
you would like to mix with these mics, or would like USB audio
playback or recording, look at the Rane AM1.

Manual-2
FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION
1 MIC INPUT LEVEL controls adjust the mic input gain. e green Signal indicators inform of audio presence. Overload
indicators warn of excessive signal levels.
2 Main OUTPUT LEVEL control adjusts the level of the mix exiting the XLR output and the RAD Port output. When connected
to an AM1 or AM2 CASCADE IN port, the AM2 OUTPUT LEVEL only aects the XLR Output.
3 CASCADE IN, CASCADE OUT and RAD status indicators prove that proper cable termination and device conguring has
occurred when all four indicators illuminate, when the AM2 is connected to an AM1 or other AM2s. If any of these are o or
ashing, a conguration or wiring error is the culprit.
4 LOCATE indicator helps system installers identify a specic AM2 Automixer when using Rane’s Mongoose Tracker software.
5 POWER indicator lights whenever adequate power is applied to the unit.
AM2
AUTOMIXER
POWER
LOCATE
OUTIN
CASCADE
RAD
1
MIC INPUTS
SIG OL
2
SIG OLLEVEL
3
SIG OLLEVEL
4
SIG OLLEVEL
5
SIG OLLEVEL
6
SIG OLLEVEL
7
SIG OLLEVEL
8
SIG OLLEVEL
OUTPUT
SIG OLLEVELLEVEL
POWER
COMM
AUDIO RX
AUDIO TX
1 2 3 45

Manual-3
REAR PANEL DESCRIPTION
1 AC Power IEC input accepts electrons to power up the AM2. ough it is rst in this list, it’s best to connect it last.
2 FAULT indicator lights when something goes awry.
LOCATE indicator ashes when toggled from the Mongoose Tracker software. When using multiple AM2 devices in a
Rane Mongoose-based CobraNet™ system, this uniquely identies a specic AM2.
USB indicator lights when a Windows or Apple operating system recognizes the AM2 for rmware updating.
POWER indicator glows when owing electrons pass in and out of the AC Power IEC input.
3 USB DATA connector allows updating the AM2 rmware should a future need arise. Firmware updates are made available on the
AM2 page at www.rane.com/am2.html.
4 CASCADE IN port permits adding up to 56 more microphones to the AM2’s eight mic inputs using up to seven Rane AM2
automixers, sold separately. Use shielded Ethernet CAT 5 cable connected from the AM2’s CASCADE OUT. See the Connection
section for details.
5 One jack, two functions: e CASCADE OUT connects to an AM1 or another AM2’s CASCADE IN when combining units
for more gain-sharing mics. e RAD PORT connects to a Rane Mongoose’s Remote Audio Device port to transport the single-
channel, Main Mix of the AM2 to a CobraNet network or another Remote Audio Device.
6 MAIN OUTPUT XLR connector contains the main mix of all mics from this AM2, and all mics from preceding AM2s, if they
are connected using the CASCADE ports. e front panel OUTPUT LEVEL control adjusts the level exiting this jack.
MIC/LINE Output switch changes this Main XLR Output to mic-level, for feeding the output mix to a mic input device; or
line-level for feeding line-level input devices.
7 3-position MIC/LINE switches support 48 volt phantom power Mic position for condenser mics, zero volt Mic position for
dynamic mics, and the Line position intended for wireless mic receiver outputs. Each switch controls a pair of mic inputs, as
indicated by the rear panel grouping of two jacks for one switch.
8 MIC INPUTS 1 thru 8 accept dynamic or condenser microphones, or the output of a wireless microphone receiver. ese inputs
are optimized for speech and have a xed 100 Hz low-cut and 7 kHz high-cut lter. Both lters are 2nd-order Butterworth lters.
CASCADE
RAD PORT
USB
DATA
OUTPUT MIC INPUTS
12345678
100-240V
13 WATTS50/60 Hz
MADE IN
U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
ACN 001 345 482
AM2
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
INOUT
USB
LOCATE
FAULT
POWER
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES
WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC
RULES FOR A CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING DEVICE.
24 VDC @ 100 mA
CLASS 2 WIRING
MIC LINE
1 23
4
5 6 87

Manual-4
CONNECTION
Connect the AC power cord last to avoid loudspeakers hurting
your sensitive ears.
MIC INPUTS
e eight mic jacks are balanced XLR inputs. Unbalanced mics
or wiring can also be used with their inherent lower quality and
higher potential for hum and noise. Standard microphone cable
with a two-conductor twisted pair plus a shield is best. Rane
follows the AES recommended practice of pin 2 positive (hot),
pin 3 negative, and pin 1 to shield. If your microphone is unbal-
anced (only two conductors), see the Sound System Interconnec-
tion RaneNote elsewhere in this manual or on Rane’s website for
the proper cable to use. Or better yet, get a balanced mic.
For condenser microphones which require phantom power,
use the MIC +48V switch position. Dynamic mics use the
center, MIC +0V position. When using a wireless microphone
receiver, use the LINE position.
MAIN OUTPUT
e Main Output is a mono balanced XLR jack. Connect the
Main Output XLR using mic cable to your amplier or powered
loudspeaker and select the LINE position on the adjacent switch.
If the Main Output feeds a microphone snake or mic input,
select the MIC switch position.
USB DATA PORT
Check the AM2 page on Rane’s website for potential rmware
updates at www.rane.com/am2.html
If there is an update, follow the instructions on our website.
When using the AM2 with Mongoose Tracker software,
AM2 rmware is always kept up to date via the AM2’s RAD
PORT.
RAD PORT
If your audio system delivers the AM2’s Main Output audio mix
using Rane’s digital audio transport technology exiting the RAD
Port, connect a shielded Ethernet patch cable to the RAD Port.
When the Rane Mongoose at the other end of this connection
recognizes the AM2’s RAD Port, audio nirvana is achieved and
all four adjacent RAD Port Status indicators illuminate.
CASCADE IN / OUT PORTS
Connect a shielded Ethernet patch cable from the CASCADE
IN port to another AM2’s CASCADE OUT port to add more
mics to the mix of this AM2. All four CASCADE IN Status
Indicators illuminate when the two devices recognize each other.
Connect up to seven more Rane AM2 Automixers for a total of
64 gain-sharing mics. Be certain to connect CASCADE OUT
to CASCADE IN throughout – otherwise, nirvana won’t be
achieved.
CASCADE
RAD PORT
USB
DATA
OUTPUT MIC INPUTS
123
45678
100-240V
13 WATTS50/60 Hz
MADE IN
U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
ACN 001 345 482
AM 2
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
INOUT
USB
LOCATE
FAULT
POWER
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES
WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC
RULES FOR A CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING DEVICE.
24 VDC @ 100 mA
CLASS 2 WIRING
MIC LINE
CASCADE
RAD PORT
USB
DATA
OUTPUT MIC INPUTS
12345678
100-240V
13 WATTS50/60 Hz
MADE IN
U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
ACN 001 345 482
AM 2
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
INOUT
USB
LOCATE
FAULT
POWER
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES
WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC
RULES FOR A CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING DEVICE.
24 VDC @ 100 mA
CLASS 2 WIRING
MIC LINE
CASCADE
RAD PORT
USB
DATA
OUTPUT MIC INPUTS
12345678
100-240V
13 WATTS50/60 Hz
MADE IN
U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
ACN 001 345 482
AM 2
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
INOUT
USB
LOCATE
FAULT
POWER
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES
WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC
RULES FOR A CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING DEVICE.
24 VDC @ 100 mA
CLASS 2 WIRING
MIC LINE
CASCADE
RAD PORT
USB
DATA
OUTPUT MIC INPUTS
12345678
100-240V
13 WATTS50/60 Hz
MADE IN
U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
ACN 001 345 482
AM 2
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
INOUT
USB
LOCATE
FAULT
POWER
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES
WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC
RULES FOR A CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING DEVICE.
24 VDC @ 100 mA
CLASS 2 WIRING
MIC LINE
CASCADE
RAD PORT
USB
DATA
OUTPUT MIC INPUTS
12345678
100-240V
13 WATTS50/60 Hz
MADE IN
U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
ACN 001 345 482
AM 2
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
INOUT
USB
LOCATE
FAULT
POWER
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES
WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC
RULES FOR A CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING DEVICE.
24 VDC @ 100 mA
CLASS 2 WIRING
MIC LINE
PRIMARY SECONDARY
IN USE /
CONDUCTOR
LINK /
ACTIVITY
PRIMARY SECONDARY
REMOTE AUDIO DEVI CES ETHERNET ETHERNET REMOTE AUDIO DEVI CES
MADE
IN
U.S.A.
RANE
CORP.
MONGOOSE
100-240 V
50/60 Hz 4 0 WATTS
12345678
12345678
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH
PART 15 OF THE FCC RULES FOR
A CLASS 'B' COMPUTING DEVICE.
LOCATE
POWER
LAN
LINK
COMM
POWER
AUDIO TX
AUDIO RX
ACN 001 345 482
COMMERCIAL AUDIO
EQUIPMENT 24TJ
R
CLASS 2 WIRING
24 VDC @ 100 mA
AM2 Automixer (up to eight)
Mongoose
AM2 Automixer
AM2 Automixer
AM2 Automixer
AM2 Automixer

Manual-5
MIC INPUTS
e rear panel, three-position Mic/Line switches set the mic
input gain such that the maximum signal permitted almost clips
the A/D converter. is is true for each switch position. e Mic
Inputs are automatically mixed using a gain-sharing algorithm.
Set the inputs using the black knobs so they do not (or rarely)
clip. en, sit back and relax. If you’ve already set up the inputs
and someone starts talking louder/closer than you expected, feel
free to turn them down a little.
e green Signal indicators should easily light for soft talk-
ers even at relatively low Level settings. e Overload indicator
should light only occasionally for only the loudest talkers.
Since these Mic Inputs and their underlying gain-sharing au-
tomix algorithm are designed and optimized for speech signals,
do not use these Inputs with non-speech audio signals such as
those from musical instruments or CD/DVD players.
MAIN OUTPUT
e Main Output of an AM2 delivers the gain-sharing automix
of it’s Mic Inputs and all upstream inputs. e gray OUTPUT
LEVEL control knob always adjusts the level of the Main Out-
put. Remember, if mulitple AM2s are daisy-chained together
(using CASCADE IN / OUT ports), the automatic mix of all
microphones in the system is present at the Main Output of the
last AM2 in the daisy-chain.
CASCADE IN PORT
e Cascade Input allows more mics to be added to the gain-
sharing mic mix algorithm of the AM2’s eight Mic Inputs.
When a shielded Ethernet patch cable fed from another AM2’s
CASCADE OUT port is connected to the next AM2’s CAS-
CADE IN port, all cascaded AM2 microphones are automati-
cally added to the automatic Mic Mix of the last AM2 in the
chain. (US Patent Pending.)
Cascade audio is 24-bit, 48 kHz, xed-point for the curious
audio nerd.
When all four Cascade Status indicators light, this means
the cable is wired properly. If any of the Status indicators are
ashing, the cable is not wired properly or damaged. In this case,
perhaps an Ethernet crossover cable was accidentally connected,
or the cable crimp has an error.
We recommend using shielded twisted-pair for the best EMI
performance.
CASCADE IN Status indicators are dened below:
AUDIO Tx LED – lights when the AM2’s audio is successfully
transmitted to, and received by, the AM2. If this is o, check
the cable.
AUDIO Rx LED – lights when the connected AM2 successfully
sends audio which also proves this twist in the cable is correct.
COMM LED – lights green when the AM2’s CASCADE OUT
is properly communicating with the other AM2 and proves
that the twisted pair for Comm in the cable is good. If this
indicator is o, the cable is not a happy camper.
POWER LED – is always on when the AM2 is powered. If the
AM2 is powered and this is o, make sure the power twisted
pair in the connected cable is not shorted.
AM2
AUTOMIXER
POWER
LOCATE
OUTIN
CASCADE
RAD
1
MIC INPUTS
SIG OL
2
SIG OLLEVEL
3
SIG OLLEVEL
4
SIG OLLEVEL
5
SIG OLLEVEL
6
SIG OLLEVEL
7
SIG OLLEVEL
8
SIG OLLEVEL
OUTPUT
SIG OLLEVELLEVEL
POWER
COMM
AUDIO RX
AUDIO TX
OPERATION

Manual-6
©Rane Corporation 10802 47th Ave. W., Mukilteo WA 98275-5098 TEL [phone] FAX [phone] WEB www.rane.com
112243
CASCADE OUT / RAD PORT
is port functions as a CASCADE OUT port when con-
nected to the CASCADE IN port of a Rane AM1 or AM2 (sold
separately). Connect the CASCADE OUT port of an AM2 to
the CASCADE IN port of another automixer, to add it’s Mic
Inputs and all upstream inputs into the automatic gain-sharing
mix of the downstream mixer. When cascaded, the signal on
the CASCADE OUT port is unaected by the gray OUTPUT
LEVEL control.
is port functions as a RAD Port when connected to a
Rane Mongoose (sold separately). e RAD port contains a
Rane-specic digital audio transport protocol allowing audio
delivery to a CobraNet™ digital audio network or another Re-
mote Audio Device via a Rane Mongoose. e audio exiting the
RAD port contains the Main Mix and is attenuated by the gray
OUTPUT LEVEL control.
For inquisitive technophiles, RAD Port audio is 24-bit,
48kHz, xed-point.
CobraNet is a trademark of Cirrus Logic Inc.
CASCADE
RAD PORT
USB
DATA
OUTPUT MIC INPUTS
12345678
100-240V
13 WATTS50/60 Hz
MADE IN
U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
ACN 001 345 482
AM2
MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE MIC +48V MIC +0V LINE
INOUT
USB
LOCATE
FAULT
POWER
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES
WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC
RULES FOR A CLASS 'B'
COMPUTING DEVICE.
24 VDC @ 100 mA
CLASS 2 WIRING
MIC LINE
RAD PORT Status indicators are dened below:
AUDIO Tx LED – lights green when audio is received by a
Mongoose or AM2. If this indicator is o, either the cable is
bad, or there is a communications error between the devices
(see COMM LED below).
AUDIO Rx LED – lights green when the RAD Port successfully
receives audio from the Mongoose or cascaded AM2. If this
indicator is o, you may have a bad cable, or the device at the
other end of the cable is not powered or connected.
COMM LED – lights green when communication is established
between the Mongoose or a cascaded AM1 or AM2. is
indicator turns o if the RAD Port cannot communcate with
the other device for some reason – likely due to a faulty cable.
POWER LED – lights green when the RAD Port is receiving 24
volt power from the Mongoose or cascaded device. is also
indicates that the twisted pair for power within the cable is
wired and crimped properly. If the Power LED is o and the
other end of the cable is plugged into a powered device, there
is a problem with the cable.