Sage SE-Pre 1 User manual
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
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SE-Pre1ª
microphone preamp
MINI HANDBOOK
and
WARRANTY
Contents
FORWARD
CONTACT INFO
COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION / PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION
PRODUCT APPLICATIONS
PRODUCT FEATURES
PRODUCT SPECS
PRODUCT OPERATION
WARRANTY
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
Thank you for purchasing your SE-Pre1ªmic preamp(s).
It's always challenging to make the right decision when buying gear for one's
recording facility. We're glad to have this opportunity for you to own and use some
sage gear ~ and hope you will be too !
The SE-Pre1 is a unique and elegant mic pre.
It is the first critical link to achieving professional quality audio with your recording
system.
The SE-Pre1 was designed and built by sage ELECTRONICS founder and builder
~ Phillip Victor Bova. Here are some of his thoughts about them:
So much has changed so quickly in the recording world ... the changeover
from 16 bit to the much higher resolution of 24 bit recording has peeled
back yet another layer of sonic fuzziness. This has revealed inadequacies in
the recording chain many hadn't noticed before. Quite rightly, the mic pre,
sitting at the front end of the analogue signal path is coming under
renewed scrutiny. Lets face it, it's the 'gatekeeper' for every mic and DI
passing through it! So it better be good.'
I think of the sound of sage pres as being on the 'clean side of warm.' They
do not exhibit as much colouration as some of their 'classic' counterparts .
They have a very open, airy, but not-exaggerated top end and a really fat,
tight bottom end. They make even cheap dynamic mics sound great. They
sound the same at any gain level. They are not clip-able by any known mic
input signal.
I designed them and now manufacture them because after operating studios
for over twenty years ~ I was frustrated with the high maintena nce / cost
associated with owning 'vintage' gear. While I truly loved the way this
'classic' equipment sounded when it was working properly, it seemed like I
was spending more time fixing it than recording … and so sage
ELECTRONICS® was formed to produce gear in the spirit of classic 1960s /
70s equipment but with brand new high quality components ... great
sounding single minded gear which will last for many years to come.
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
S E - P r e 1 s are built to last a very long time
~ we always suggest that Folks put ’em in their will !
Please Please Please !
We beg of you:
Before you connect and operate your S E - P r e 1 at least read
this one section of this very short and sweet handbook.
S E - P r e 1 s are very simple to set up and use but even with
simple things it’s important to be aware of a few dos and
don’ts.
When you first unpack these new toys ~ carefully
i n s p e c t t h e m to make sure UPS or FEDEX haven ‘t dropped
‘em off the back of a semi at 60 miles / hour. There should be
no dents, scuffs or loose items rolling around the inside of the
unit(s) that might indicate foul play …
Your package should include;
¥ the number of S E - P r e 1 microphone preamps ordered
¥ same number of mic pre > power supply 4 pin DIN cables
¥ the number of SE-PS2 or SE-PS8 power supplies ordered
¥ 1 AC cable per power supply
¥ this CDR and / or paper handbook / warranty
IMPO RTANT: WHENEVER YOU ARE PLUGGING OR UNPLUGGING THE
4 PIN DIN POW ER CABLE WHI CH RUNS BETWEEN TH E POWE R
SUPPLY AND EACH SE-PRE1 MIC PRE ~ MAK E SURE THAT THE
A C POWER SWITCH LO CATED ON THE POWER SUPPL Y IS
TUR NED OFF OR BETTER YET ~ THAT IT IS UNPLUGGED FR OM
THE WALL. BECAUSE THE 4 PIN DIN CABLE SUPPLIES 3
DIFFERENT VOLTAGES TO THE SE-PRE1S IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT
THE SE PLU GS ARE CONNECTED PRIOR TO POWER ON.
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
B e f o r e a n y t h i n g e l s e d e c i d e w h e r e t o s i t u a t e y o u r S E - P r e 1 ( s )
If you have purchased just one or two modules you may decide to keep
them close to you such as on a desk top ~ especially if you’re using a
DAW setup.
Two or more units will likely work best mounted in a rack space (2 units
can be mounted together horizonta lly in a 2RU 19” rack space or up to 8
units can be mounted together ~ upright in a 3RU 19 ” spa c e.
After situating your mic pres you should select a location for the power
supply. It can either be mounted in a rack or placed on the floor near but
not too close to your mic pres.
Although S E - P r e 1 s are very well shielded against interference it is
always better to not tempt fate. Keep modules as far awa y as possible
from video monitors, TVs, power supplies, power amps and wall warts.
All of the above are capable of introducing or generating serious hum and
radio interference in sensitive gear.
All microphones and preamps have the challenging task of amplifying the
incredibly fragile and weak signals (sometimes only a few thousandths of
a volt) generated by microphones - by as much as 1000 times to bring
the signal to a hot enough level to properly feed into your recording
device.
Whatever installation option you choose for the power supply make sure
there is adequate ventilation around the unit. If it’s on the floor or
carpet make sure it’s not going to end up being cov ered up by dust, cat
hair balls, dead plant leav es or other undesirable detritus which may
build up over time. Heat build up is the enemy of all electronic gea r.
Do not thermally hast en the demis e of your gear. It needs to breath.
Please feel free to contact us at any time at;
54 Mulvagh Avenue, Ottawa, ON, Canada K2E 6M6
(613) 228-0449 phone and fax
www.sageelectronics.com
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
The material contained in this handbook consists of information that is ððððthe property
of sage ELECTRONICS¨ðððððððððððððððððand is intended solely for use by the purchasers of the
equipment described in this handbook. sage ELECTRONICS¨expressly prohibits
the duplication of any portion of this handbook or the use thereof for any purpose
other than the operation and / or maintenance of the equipment listed in this
handbook without their express written consent. Under copyright laws, this
handbook may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of
sage ELECTRONICS¨.
ððððððððððSE-Pre1, SE-PS2 and SE-PS8 are trademarks of ðððððððððððððððððð sage ELECTRONICS¨.
Serial numbers are located on the rear ðððððand / or side of each unit. We suggest that
you record your serial number(ðsð) in the space(s) provided below. Refer to it / them
whenever you contact ððððððus ~ or an authorized ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððrepair ððððððððservice.
Features and specifications subject to change without notice.
© 2005, sage ELECTRONICS¨
All rights reserved.
Serial ________________________________________________ð
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Purchase Date: ________________________________________________
Purchased Fromððððð: ________________________________________________
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
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SE-Pre 1ªmic preamp
¥as single module or w/ up to 8 channels in 3RU 19" rackmount
home / project / DAW & professional recording studios
live recording
FOH sound systems
critical field recording
high-end sampling
voice-over, broadcast and edit suitesÊ
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discrete class A transistor circuitry
hand-selected, precision-matched components
hand-wired and assembled
incredibly open sound qualityÊ / extremely low self noise
unclip-able input even by extreme mic signals (requires no input pad)
+26 dBu output capable of driving a 600 ohm load or greater
(this covers everything from vintage gear to the latest digital audio
workstations)
+48 volt switch-able phantom power - with highly visible indicator
Vishay gain pot
gold-plated balanced XLR I / O connectors
separate DC connector cable from each module to power supply -
eliminates ground hum
unique exotic wood front panel detailing w/ vintage-style knob and switch
high voltage external power supply (+ / - 22 volts) {sold separately}
designed and manufactured (by hand) in Canada
all modules subject to lengthy burn-in period - for maximum reliability
three year warranty
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
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for single channel rackmountable or desktop mo dule
dimensions:Ê 4"d x 2"w x 3 rack units high
(front panel = 2 1/4"wide x 5 1/8" high)
weight:Ê 2.7 lbs
maximum gain:Ê 50d B (can be customized)
phantom power:Ê +48 V DC (switch -able w/ ind icator )
equivalent input noise (EIN):Ê 0.27 uV rms in 20 kHz bandwidth
with 200 ohm source
dynamic range: Ê > 90dB (no wei ght ing )
frequency response: Ê 20Hz to 20kHz (+ / - 0.5 dB)
input impedance:Ê 200 0 ohms
output impedance:Ê 100 ohms
maximum input level:Ê +10 dBu
maximum output level:Ê +26 dBu
CMRR:Ê > 70d B
total harmonic distortion (THD):Ê < 0. 1% (typica l)
transistors:Ê hand-selected / precision matched
power requirements:Ê SE- PS2ª or SE-PS 8ª e xt e rn al su pp ly
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
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IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT POWER TO THE POWER SUPPLY
(SE -PS2ª or SE-PS8ª ) AND THE MI C PRE (SE -PRE1ª ) IS NEVER
ACTIVATED UNTI L ALL CABLES HAVE BEEN PROPERLY
CONNECTED
bef ore be ginning asse mbly make su re front pan el tog gle switch on
bot h the SE-Pre 1 mic pre and you r SE-P S2 or SE-PS8 power suppl y
are in the 'OF F' (lo wer) posit io n
con nect AC cabl e to AC inle t loca t ed on rear of you r SE-P S2 or
SE- PS8 po wer su pply
con nect opposit e end of this AC cable to a 3 pin wa ll rec ept acle or a
pro perly ground ed 3 pin ext ension cord
WARNING: DO NOT PLUG THE SE -PS2 OR SE-P S8 POWER
SUP PLY INTO A 2 PIN OUTLET OR EXTENSION CORD AS THI S
DEFEATS THE SAF ETY FE ATURE OF THE THI RD GROUND PIN,
LIK ELY CO NTRAVE NES LOCAL WI RING REGULATI ONS AND WILL
BE DIMLY VIEWED BY YO UR INS URANCE COMPANY.
SE-Pre 1 mic pre rear panel
SE-PS2 power supply front panel
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
con firm you hav e powe r to power supply by flipping the toggle switc h
on front panel of power supply to "ON" (upper ) posi tion (amber light
wil l glow to in dic ate power suppl y is properl y conn ected)
NOW BEFORE CONTINUING WITH CONNECTION ~ FLIP THIS POWER
SUPPLY TOGGLE SWITCH TO "OFF" (LOWER) POSITION
loc ate th e power inte rconnect cab le and ins ert th e 4 pi n Neutrik male
con nector into corres pondin g conn ector on power sup ply ~ firmly
ins ert fe male 4 pin DI N con nec t or locat ed on opposite end of th is
cab le int o corr espond ing connecto r on rear panel of your SE-Pre 1
mic pre ~ the small groove in the DIN plug sh ould fac e up
c ar ef ul ly ro tat e th e co nn ec t or Õs t hr ea de d re t ai ne r ri ng c loc kwi se to
sec ure DI N plug - Be carefu l to not cross-t hread th e ring
set gain cont ro l knob on SE -Pre1 mic pre to full count er clockwise
po s it io n
mak e sure phant om pow er tog gle swit ch on fron t pane l of SE-Pre1 is
in "OFF" (lower) posi tion
con nect input sourc e (ie: microphone) If source is a dy namic
mi c ro pho ne or pa ss iv e tra ns f orme r DI bo x th en ph ant o m po wer is not
req uired. Therefore leave SE-Pre1 toggle swit c h in "OFF" (lower)
pos ition. If signal sourc e is a condenser mi cropho ne or an act ive DI
box flip toggle switc h to "ON" (u pper) posit i on. Amber light should
glo w to confirm 48 Volt power is pres ent. If in doubt as to whet her a
dev ice re quires phant om pow er pleas e co nsult the ma nual that ca me
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
wi t h tha t de vic e . So me vi nt age ri bb on mi c s can ac tu al ly be dama ge d
by phantom powe r although this is extre mely rare. Searching th e
ar c hi ve s of r ec . au di o .pr o on the int ernet should provide further info
on this matter. A few very recen t ribbon mic s actu ally require
pha ntom power to ope rat e as they are equipped with onboa rd ac t iv e
ele ctroni cs.
WARNING: NEVER CONNECT OR DI SCONNECT MI CROPHO NES
OR DI BOX ES WHI LE THE SE-PRE1 PHANTOM POWER TOGGLE
SWI TCH IS ACTIVATED (IE: WH EN AMB ER LIG HT IS GLOWING)
THE SE-PRE1 HAS BUILT -IN VO LTAGE SPIKE PROTEC TION TO
PRE VENT DAMAGE TO ITS INPUT STAGE; SHOULD AN INPUT BE
ACCIDENTA LLY CONNECTE D OR DISCONNECTED WHILE
PHA NTO M P OW ER I S ACTI VE . H OWE VE R PA RTI CI CUL ARY IN A
CAS E WHERE THE GAIN CONTROL IS SE T TO A HI GH LEVEL A
LAR GE VOL TAGE SPIKE CAN SER I OUSLY DAMAG E EQUI PMENT
TO WHI CH THE SE -PRE1 MI C PRE OUTP UT IS CONNECTED. THIS
IS TRUE OF MOST MIC PRES -
In addit i on bef ore tu rning phanto m powe r toggle swi t c h to 'OFF'
(lo wer) pos itio n it is a go od idea to turn the gain contr ol kno b to t he
low est posit ion (ie: full counte r cloc kwise) to mi nimiz e switc hing
Ôth umps'
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
und er nor mal op eratio ns the SE-Pr e1Õs balance d 3 pin XLR out put is
c on ne ct ed to a co rr es p on di ng ly ba lan ced in pu t on yo ur re c or di ng
dev ice or mixer using an ap propri ate ca ble
HOWEVER IF AN SE-PRE 1 IS TO BE CONNECTED TO AN
UNB ALANCE D INPUT IT IS IMPO RTANT TO USE A PRO PERLY
WIR ED ADAPTOR CABLE WHICH USES ON LY PIN 2 (HO T) AND PIN
1 (GROUND). IN THI S PARTICULAR SITUATI ON IT IS ESS ENTIAL
THA T PI N 3 IS LEFT UNCONNECTED. IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF
THE WIRI N G OF YOUR CA BLE CHECK IT WITH A VOLT METER TO
CONFIRM THAT PI N 3 IS UNCONNECTED OR HA VE AN
ELE CTRONI C TECH NICIAN MAKE YOU AN APPRO PRIATE
BAL ANCED TO UNB ALANCED CABL E.
ass uming all of the above has tak en place É adjust your SE-Pre1 's
gai n cont rol kn ob to produc e suit able signal for your rec ording dev ice
or mixer as dis played on le vel in dicato r(s) ~ and enjoy !
The power supply is fuse protected. The fuse is a 1 amp slo blo 250 Volt.
The fuse is loc at ed in a sl ide out drawer in the lo wer pa rt of the AC inlet
on the re ar of the SE -PS2 or SE-P S8 power sup ply un it.
The fus e drawer contains tw o sect ions. The inner section conta ins the
act ive fu s e and the outer s ection contains a spare fuse we have prov i ded
for your conv enienc e. Fuse s are common ly available from electr onics
s up pl y st or es .
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
WARRANTY
sage ELECTRONICS¨ warrants its products to be free from defects in material and
workmanship under normal use and service for a period of three (3) years from the date of
purchase. This warranty extends only to the original purchaser. This warranty does not apply to
fuses, lamps, batteries, cables, or any products or parts that have been subjected to misuse,
neglect, accident, or abnormal operating conditions.
In the event of failure of a product under this warranty, sage ELECTRONICS¨ will repair in
Canada, at no charge, the product returned to its factory.
sage ELECTRONICS¨ may, at its option, replace the product in lieu of repair.
This limited warranty covers failures due only to defects in materials and workmanship which
occur during normal, intended use and does not cover damage which occurs in shipment or
failures which are caused by products not supplied by sage ELECTRONICS¨. This limited
warranty does not cover failures which arise from accident, misuse, abuse, neglect,
mishandling, misapplication, faulty installation, improper adjustment, alteration or modification of
product, incompatibilities, line-power surges, acts of God, or service performed by anyone other
than sage ELECTRONICS¨ or its authorized agent.
If the failure has been caused by misuse, neglect, accident or abnormal operating conditions,
repairs will be billed at the normal shop rate. In such cases, an estimate will be submitted before
work is started, if requested by the customer.
LIMITS AND EXCLUSIONS
There are no express warranties except as listed above. sage ELECTRONICS¨ shall not be
liable for special, subsequent, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, including, but not
limited to: damage to recordings, microphones, mixing consoles, or any associated equipment,
downtime costs, loss of goodwill, or claims of any party dealing with purchaser for such
damages resulting from the use of this product. All warranties, express and implied, including
the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are limited to the applicable
warranty period set forth above
SE - Pre 1ª microphone preamp
Some provinces / states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or
consequential damages, or length of time an implied warranty remains in effect. As such,
the above exclusions may not apply. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you
may also have other rights which can vary from province to province ~ state to state.
Should your sage ELECTRONICS¨product require service or repair please email us at:
* your name
* your return shipping address
* your telephone number(s)
* your product's model number (example: SE-Pre1)
* your product's serial number (located on side or rear of chassis)
* date and location of purchase
* description of problem or the service required
Upon sage ELECTRONICS¨' receipt of the above information from you we will provide you
with your return authorization number. From this point we ask that you please;
¥pack your unit carefully. Use your original packing if possible. If you do not have the
original packaging, make sure your unit has adequate protection. Tight thick bubble
wrap and foam is best if you do not have the original packing
¥include a note in the box describing your problem or the service that your unit
requires. Be sure to include your return authorization number on this note
¥write your return authorization number on the outside of your package / carton
packages without a return authorization number will be returned to sender
¥Customer is responsible for paying shipping and insurance to sage
ELECTRONICS¨ facility. sage ELECTRONICS¨ will pay the return freight and
insurance via FEDEX ground or Canada Post.
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