SPL Creon User manual

Creon
High Performance USB Audio Interface & Monitor Controller
Manual

2Creon
Content
Content 2
Version 1.1 – 11/ 2015 4
Scope of Delivery 5
Scope of Delivery 5
Measurement & Weight 5
Introduction 6
USB Interface 7
Hardware 7
Software 7
AD/DA Conversion 8
AD Conversion 8
DA Conversion 8
Hook Up 9
Placement 9
Front Panel: Wiring Diagram 10
Rear Panel: Wiring Diagram 11
Connections 12
USB 12
Power Connection 13
Power Supply 13
Signal Connections 14
Speaker Outputs (Speaker | Main Out) 15
Sources 1 and 2 16
Source 1: Jack 17
Source 2: RCA 18
Input Selection 19
Mic Inputs 20
Line Inputs 21
Instrument Input 22
Phones 23
Important Recommendations 24
Unbalanced Connections 25

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Content
Control Elements 26
Mic Gain 27
48 V 28
High-Pass Filter 29
Instr Gain 30
LED Indicators 31
Special note regarding the OVL LED: 32
Status LEDs 32
Analog Inputs 33
DAW Returns 33
Sources 34
Speaker DIM 34
Monitor Mix 35
Phones 36
Volume 37
Calibration of the Monitoring System 38
Symbols 40
Security Advices 41
Declaration of CE Conformity 46
Notes on Environmental Protection 46
Contact 47

4Creon
Developer: Jens Gronwald
This manual contains a description of the product SPL Creon, Model 1410. In no way it
represents a guarantee of particular characteristics or results of use.
The information in this document has been carefully compiled and verified and, unless
otherwise stated or agreed upon, correctly describes the product. Sound Performance
Lab (SPL) continuously strives to improve its products and reserves the right to modify
the product described in this manual at any time without prior notice.
This document is the property of SPL and may not be copied or reproduced in any man-
ner, in part or fully, without prior authorization by SPL.
Version 1.1 – 11 / 2015
Content

5Creon
Scope of Delivery
Creon (Black: Model 1410, White: Model 1412)
12 V power supply
USB cabel
Product Overview
Measurement & Weight
Height x Width x Depth in mm: 67 x260 x175 (2.64x10.2x6.9 inch)
Weight: 2,7 kg (without external power supply)
Please keep the original packaging. In case of a service procedure the original packaging ensures a
safe transport. It also serves as a safe packaging for your own transports if you do not use special
transportation cases.
Scope of Delivery
Content

6Creon
Welcome
and thank you for purchasing the Creon. It combines a high-performance USB audio
interface with high-quality preamps and a separate, fully-featured analog monitor con-
troller. You can play and play back, record and convert, control and listen with one
single device. So all you essentially need for a truly professional recording setup is the
Creon and a DAW.
With and without DAW
Creon is designed to operate with your Digital Audio Workstation. But you can also do
a lot with it as a stand-alone device: plug in an instrument and play. Connect a micro-
phone and sing along. Mix your own monitor signal with playback or guide tracks from
any source. What you are playing is not bad? Turn on the DAW and record it.
Introduction
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7Creon
Hardware
USB 2-Audio-System
High-performance, 32 bit microcontroller
24 bit audio processing
2 input and 2 output channels
Sample rates (kHz): 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192
Fixed master clock for lowest jitter
True 1:1 audio, no sample rate conversion or clock recovery
Software
Windows XP/7/8/10 (32 & 64 Bit), Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, iOS 6 or higher
Multi-application mode, simultaneous ASIO and/or WDM playback
Low-latency driver
Driver feedback synchronization to hardware clock
ASIO control panel for Windows
USB Audio Class 2.0 compliance (asynchronous mode)
Firmware updates via USB.
USB Interface
Info:
Download the latest drivers and rmware from
www.creon.spl.info.
Mac OS: There is no need to install drivers for
the Creon!
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8Creon
AD Conversion
Dynamic Range
44.1 / 48 kHz: 128 dB
88.2 / 96 kHz: 123 dB
SNR:
44.1 / 48 kHz: -113 dB
88.2 / 96 kHz: -110 dB
THD+N ratio at 1kHz (-1 dBFS):
44.1 / 48 kHz: 0,002%
88.2 / 96 kHz: 0,0025%
0 dBFS = +15 dBu
Sample Rates (kHz): 44.1, 48 , 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192
AD/DA Conversion
DA Conversion
Dynamic Range
44.1 / 48 kHz: 124 dB
88.2 / 96 kHz: 122 dB
SNR:
44.1 / 48 kHz: -109 dB
88.2 / 96 kHz: -107 dB Content

9Creon
Placement
Place the unit on a leveled and stable surface or mount it in a dedicated rack frame.
The unit’s enclosure is EMC-safe and effectively shielded against HF interference.
Nonetheless, you should carefully consider where you place the unit to avoid electrical
disturbances. It should be positioned so that you can easily reach it, read the meters
and status LED‘s well, but there are other considerations as well. Try not to place it
near heat sources or in direct sunlight, and avoid exposure to vibrations, dust, heat,
cold or moisture.
Additional safety instructions on page 41.
For more information on how to calibrate your monitoring system please refer to pages 38 and 39.
Hook Up
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Front Panel: Wiring Diagram
Instrument Headphones
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Rear Panel: Wiring Diagram
DAW Speaker Set
Microphone
Balanced Source
e.g. CD-Player analog
Power Supply
e.g. Keyboard, Synthesizer,
Preamplifier/Channel Strip
Content

12Creon
USB
Connect here your computer. Alternatively you can connect an iPad or iPhone with the
original Apple camera adapter. The USB port complies with the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 spe-
cification with a data transfer rate of 480 MBit/s, and is Apple Class 2 compliant as
well.
USB 3 is backward compatible with USB 2, which means that the Creon can also be
connected to any USB 3 port. The Hi-Speed USB 2 specification is enough to provide
the Creon with the necessary data throughput. We decided to use the USB 2 interface
due to the reliability of the drivers..
The package includes an appropriate USB cable.
In case you use a different cable, make sure it complies to the Hi-Speed USB 2 specifi-
cation. It recommends a maximum length of five meters. We recommend to keep the
cables as short as possible, remember: the shorter, the better. For cable runs exten-
ding over five meters, you could use a hub or a line extender, in which case you should
get the advice of an expert.
Connections
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Power Connection
Connect the DC connector of the external power supply to the rear DC IN socket of the
Creon. Plug the power supply to a wall power socket.
The PSU comes with an appropriate mains adapter for the country where the Creon is
bought. You can find detailed information in the separate sheet along with the safety
instructions.
Power Supply
External Power Supply: Mean Well GE-18
Input 100–240V AC/50–60 Hz; Output 12V DC/1,5A
Internal Power Supplies
Audio: +/- 17 V, Digital + 5 V and + 3,3 V
Power Consumption: 16,8 Watt
Connections
Content

14Creon
Signal Connections
Remove the DC plug from the Creon and make sure all connected gear is switched off before
tinkering with the cables.
We recommend to connect the Creon and all other audio devices in the same network to
a high-quality and appropriately rated multi-outlet power strip from where you can cut-off
and restore the power supply.
In any case, the connection of the audio network to a power outlet is the general recom-
mendation, in order to avoid ground loops and other similar noises that could arise due to
connection points having different potentials.
Connections
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15Creon
Speaker Outputs (Speaker | Main Out)
You can connect one set of active stereo speakers or a power amplifier to Creon.
Specications:
XLR balanced
(Pin 1=Ground, Pin 2=cold, Pin 3=hot)
Output impedance 75 Ohm unbalanced, 150 Ohm balanced
Maximum output level +22.5 dBu.
Connections
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Sources 1 and 2
You have two stereo source inputs with different connectors at your disposal: Source
input 1 via two mono jacks (balanced), Source input 2 via two RCA connectors.
This means you can connect two audio devices as playback sources, be it a CD or MP3
player, a tape machine or even a smartphone.
Typical applications include the use of reference tracks to do A/B comparisons or play-
ing an instrument on top of a song while listening to it — everything without the need
to connect the Creon to a computer.
Connections
IMPORTANT:
The source inputs are conventional playback
channels. Their signal cannot be recorded with
a DAW.
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Source 1: Jack
Connect here signal sources with balanced connections, for example, a DA converter.
If you only connect the left channel, the signal is automatically placed as mono in the
monitoring path (in the center of the stereo image).
Specications:
1/4“ jack, balanced
(Sleeve=Ground, Tip=hot, Ring=cold
Input impedance: 10kOhm unbalanced, 20kOhm balanced
Maximum input level +22.5 dBu.
Frequency Response: 10Hz - ›200kHz
Noise: -95 dBu (unweighted, unity gain, input termination 600 Ohm)
Common Mode Rejection ratio: ‹ -60 dBu
THD+N Ratio: 0,002% (at 1kHz, unity gain, input termination 600 Ohm)
Connections
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18Creon
Source 2: RCA
RCA connectors are ideal for any type of consumer devices with unbalanced connec-
tions, for example CD/DVD/BluRay player, AV receiver, Sat receiver, cable receiver, etc.
Input level is boosted to pro level (0dBu) by default.
Specications:
RCA connector
Input impedance: 10kOhm
Maximum input level +22.5 dBu
Frequency Response: 10 Hz - ›200 kHz
Noise: -90 dBu (unweighted, unity gain, input termination 600 Ohm)
Noise: -85 dBu (unweighted, -10dBV, input termination 600 Ohm)
THD+N Ratio: 0,003 % (at 1 kHz unity gain, input termination 600 Ohm)
THD+N Ratio: 0,003 % (at 1 kHz, -10 dBV, input termination 600 Ohm)
Connections
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Input Selection:
Microphone-, Instrument- und Line Inputs
Taking into account both microphone inputs, the instrument and four line inputs, you
have five analog inputs at your disposal. Two of the five inputs can be used simultane-
ously for recording purposes.
The selection is defined by the assignment of the corresponding inputs. This has the
added advantage that the channel configuration can be directly and intuitively made
out by the assignment of the connections, plus there is almost no need for switching.
The input selection follows this provision:
Line 1|2 has preference over Mic Input 1|2
Instrument input has preference over Mic input 2 and Line input 2
IMPORTANT:
To record microphone signals, Line 1 and/
or Line 2, Instrument ought to be free. If you
cannot hear a microphone signal, check
whether Line 1, Line 2 or Instrument input are
free or not.
Connections
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20Creon
XLR Sockets
The image below shows the XLR connectors
pinout. They are balanced and have three con-
ductors or wires. Conductor 2 (Pin 2) corres-
ponds to the (+) or hot Signal. The diagram also
shows how to wire the balanced XLR connec-
tions if unbalanced connections are required,
for example to RCA or TS inputs and outputs
Mic Inputs
You can connect dynamic, condenser, tube, and ribbon microphones to the mic inputs.
Use the Phantom switch to provide phantom power to the microphones that require it.
For more information, read the „48 V“ section on page 28.
Specications: XLR connectors
Input impedance 10 kOhm
Maximum input level +14.5 dBu (Gain knob hard left).
Frequency Response: 10 Hz - ›200 kHz
Noise: -90 dBu (unweighted, 30dB gain, input termination 150 Ohm)
Equivalent Input Noise: -128 dBu
Common Mode Rejection Ratio: ‹ -70 dBu
THD+N Ratio: 0,003 % (at 1 kHz, 30 dB gain, input termination 150 Ohm)
Input Output
balanced unbalanced balanced unbalanced
1=GND
2=hot (+)
3=cold (-)
1
2
3
1
2
3
12
3
12
3
Connections
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