Xaoc Devices PRAGA User manual

PRAGA
voltage
controlled
stereo mixing
console
Model of 1967
operator’s manual rev. 1967/1.2

SALUT
Thank you for purchasing this Xaoc Devices
product. Praga  is an expandable
four-channel voltage controlled mixer featur-
ing a stereo mixing bus, two auxiliary sends
with stereo returns, clickless muting, dedicat-
ed modes for unipolar and bipolar voltage
control over volume, DC-coupling, and a su-
per-clean signal path obtained via high-quali-
ty VCA and opamp chips.
     
control response to achieve what we believe
to be the optimal user experience found in an
eurorack mixer. The design features an elabo-
rate control circuit that combines the internal
voltages generated by the panel potentiom-
eters with external CV over volume and pan
-
sponse that constrains VCA gain to an usable
range while minimizing distortion.
INSTALLATION
The module requires 20hp worth of free
space in the eurorack cabinet. The ribbon
type power cable must be plugged into the
bus board, paying close attention to polar-
ity orientation. The red stripe indicates the
negative 12V rail and should align with the
dot, –12V or red stripe marks on both the
unit and the bus board. The module itself is
protected against reversed power connec-
tion, however reversing the 16-pin header
may cause serious damage to other com-
ponents of your system by short-circuiting
     
should be fastened by mounting the supplied
screws before powering up. To better under-
stand the device, we strongly advise the user
to read through the entire manual before
using the module.
MODULE OVERVIEW
      -
sembles a typical mixer with four identical
channels. The vol knobs 1 allow for man-
ual control of each channel's respective lev-
el. Each channel's response depends on the
selected control mode (see: 'Volume Control'
later in this manual). The illuminated ac-
tive|mode button 2 allows the user to mute
the channel or switch between the two control
modes. The pan knob 3 adjusts the channel's
position in the stereo panorama. The bipolar
aux knob 4 adjusts the amount of signal

LED level indicator 5 displays the channel's
post-fader level, while the lower section con-
tains the sockets for signal input 6, direct
vca out 7, CV inputs for pan 8 and vol
control 9. The bottom row of sockets is com-
mon to all four channels and consists of a pair
of stereo sum outputs 10 , two aux send
outputs 11 and two pairs of stereophonic aux
return inputs 12 .
VOLUME CONTROL
Praga offers two modes of combining incom-
ing control voltages with attenuator settings.
The mode is selected individually in each
channel by a long press of the illuminated
active|mode button. Mode switching is
also possible while the channel is muted, con-

2
module
explained

3
front panel
overview
1
3
4
6
8
11 10


4
5
2
7
9
12
1. UNIPOLAR MODE
Unipolar mode (button lit green) is designed
for unipolar control voltages commonly
found in envelope generators. In this mode,
the attenuator knob controls offsets to the
incoming CV, allowing the dynamic response
to CV to be retained regardless of attenua-
      
at maximum, a CV of 8V opens the channels
to 0dB, while closing the attenuators allows
     
voltages above 8V are well-tolerated, how-
ever, the gain response is strongly tempered
above 0dB, offering only up to +3dB so as to
minimize distortion. This behavior affects
the sound in a way similar to dynamic com-
pression, however lowering the attenuators
diminishes the effect, eventually bringing it
down to a non-compressed operation.
2. BIPOLAR MODE
Bipolar mode (button lit red) is designed for
bipolar control voltages commonly found in
LFOs. In this mode, the attenuators act by
scaling the CV together with an internally
generated offset voltage. Therefore the depth
of amplitude modulation (in dB) decreases
as the channel is lowered. The response is
optimized for control voltage in the range of

-
  
  
higher amplitudes of the CV are well-toler-
ated, however, the response is strongly com-
pressed above 0dB.

5
CHANNEL MUTING
Regardless of the current mode, a short-press
on the active|mode button silences the cor-
responding channel. This state is indicated
by the deactivation of the corresponding
LED. Clickless action is achieved by introduc-
ing a few-millisecond fade-out to near -90dB.
Pressing the button again brings the channel
back through a similar clickless fade-in and
reactivates the LED.
The operation of mutes can be controlled
remotely through the expander pins at the
back of the unit. The planned Hrad expan-
sion module offers four gate inputs for auto-
mated channel muting.
PAN CONTROL
Praga offers both manual and CV control
over the position of each channel in the out-
put stereo panorama. The pan knobs act
as offsets to the pan input control voltages
        
  
-
itoring setup (3dB pan law), however as
channel gain approaches 0dB, the response
is slightly compressed so as to prevent an in-

VCA OUTPUTS
A direct vca out on each channel uses a sep-
arate VCA chip to provide a pure copy of the

block
diagram
vu
aux
control
CV
volume
stereo
output
AUX
sends
CV
pan
signal
input mute AUX return
1+2
VCA
output chain output
chain
input
pan vol
vu
aux
control
CV
volume
CV
pan
signal
input mute
VCA
output
pan vol
main summing bus
aux summing bus
insert
point insert point
1 2 3 4

6
attenuated signal unaffected by the pan con-
trol. The purpose of these outputs is to offer
individual mix components for multitrack-
ing, as well as to offer insert functionality
with the Hrad expander.
AUXILIARY OUTPUTS
Two aux send outputs, together with two
pairs of stereo aux return sockets allow
the user to patch two send effects. A dedicat-
ed bipolar aux knob in each channel allows
for manual control of the sends. By turning
the knob to the left or right of center, the sig-
nal is sent to auxiliary channel A or B respec-
tively. Sends are post-fader only, as they are
derived from the vca out signals.
The expander header on the back of the
module features insert points between each
channel's VCA and the aux selector to pro-
vide channel inserts and voltage control over
the aux level through dedicated Hrad inputs.
LEVEL INDICATORS
AND MIXING BUS LEVELS
Each of Praga’s channels features an individ-
      
show the state of a standard volume detector
with thresholds at -32dB, -20dB, -12dB, -6dB
and 0dB referenced to a 10Vpp signal. Bear in
mind that eurorack electronic circuits cannot
handle voltages greater than 10V, therefore
it is impossible to mix four signals of 10Vpp
without serious distortion.
It is recommended to keep your attenuators
-
less your sources are very quiet). The mixing
bus in Praga features a soft clipping circuit
that offers a gentle overdrive for signals ex-
ceeding 16Vpp. This solution prevents the
harsh sounding distortion resulting from hard
clipping should the sum of your signals exceed
the dynamic range of the output stage. Addi-
tional control over the sum level is offered by
the Hrad expander at its dedicated stereo
sum outputs.
EXPANDABILITY
Multiple Praga units (or other compatible
mixer modules) may be chained to provide a
cascaded sub-mix setup such that the content
of the mix bus of all upstream units is inject-
ed 1:1 into the mix bus of every subsequent
unit appearing at its stereo sum outputs.
The chaining headers at the back of the mod-
ule should be connected with a 6-pin ribbon
cable 15 so that the out header 13 of the
preceding unit goes into the in header 14 of
in header of the
out header of the last unit
should remain unconnected.
POWER
CONNECTOR
1967 VOLTA GE CO N TRO LLE D M IXI N G SUR FAC E
REV. 03.2017
14

1315

7
control
characteristics
There is also Hrad expansion module avail-
able offering addtional features such as
line-level outputs, master level control with
LED indicators, headphones output, addition-
al AUX controls and insert inputs, active gate
inputs and cue input.
ACCESSORY
Our Coal Mine black panels are available for
all Xaoc Devices modules. Sold separately. Ask
your favorite retailer. •

bipolar (red) mode
gain vs. attenuator
settings for
different cv
Volume control voltage (bipolar)
          
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40

-60
-70
          
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40

-60
-70
         
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40

-60
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40

-60
0V
5V
5V
10V
10
10
4
5
3
2
2
7
8
1
8V
-5V
          
Attenuator setting
Gain [dB]
Gain [dB] Gain [dB]
Gain [dB]
Attenuator setting
Volume control voltage (unipolar)

pan c on trol
response
         
0
-10
-20
-30
-40

-60
-70
8
10
5
Pan response
Pan control voltage (bipolar)

unipolar (green) mode
gain vs. cv
for different
attenuator
settings

bipolar (red) mode
gain vs. cv
for different
attenuator
settings

unipolar (green) mode
gain vs. attenuator
settings for
different cv

MAIN
FEATURES
Intuitive volume
control behaviour
Voltage control
over volume
and pan
Dedicated modes
for unipolar and
bipolar voltage
control over
volume
DC-coupled
signal path
Channel level
indicators
Two auxiliary
sends with stereo
returns
Clickless channel
muting
Expandable
by chaining more
units and optional
Hrad expander
module
TECHNICAL
DETAILS
Eurorack synth
compatible
20hp, skiff
friendly
Current draw:
+210mA/-180mA
Reverse power
protection
EASTERN BLOC TECHNOLOGIES MADE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CONTENT COPYRIGHT ©2022 XAOC DEVICES. COPYING, DISTRIBUTION OR ANY
COMMERCIALUSEINANYWAYISSTRICTLYPROHIBITEDANDREQUIRESTHEWRITTENPERMISSIONBYXAOC
DEVICES. SPECIFICATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. EDITING BY BRYAN NOLL.
WARRANTY TERMS
XAOC DEVICES WARRANTS THIS PRODUCT TO BE FREE OF DEFECTS IN MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP
AND TO CONFORM WITH THE SPECIFICATIONS AT THE TIME OF SHIPMENT FOR ONE YEAR FROM THE
DATE OF PURCHASE. DURING THAT PERIOD, ANY MALFUNCTIONING OR DAMAGED UNITS WILL BE
REPAIRED, SERVICED, AND CALIBRATED ON A RETURN-TO-FACTORY BASIS. THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT
COVER ANY PROBLEMS RESULTING FROM DAMAGES DURING SHIPPING, INCORRECT INSTALLATION OR
POWER SUPPLY, IMPROPER WORKING ENVIRONMENT, ABUSIVE TREATMENT, OR ANY OTHER OBVIOUS
USER-INFLICTED FAULT.
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IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG WITH A XAOC PRODUCT AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD IS OVER, THERE IS
NO NEED TO WORRY, AS WE’RE STILL HAPPY TO HELP! THIS APPLIES TO ANY DEVICE, WHEREVER AND
WHENEVER ORIGINALLY ACQUIRED. HOWEVER, IN SPECIFIC CASES, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHARGE
FOR LABOR, PARTS, AND TRANSIT EXPENSES WHERE APPLICABLE.
RETURN POLICY
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