Zaxcom MAXX User manual

1
USER MANUAL
Published November 2014
Software Version Maxx 2.13
Zaxcom Zax-Max
Mixer – Recorder - Transmitter

2
KNOW YOUR MAXX .................................................................................................................................................... 6
FRONT PANEL ...........................................................................................................................................................................6
LEFT SIDE .................................................................................................................................................................................9
RIGHT SIDE .............................................................................................................................................................................10
REAR .....................................................................................................................................................................................11
HOME SCREEN /METERS..........................................................................................................................................................12
HOME SCREEN EXPLAINED ........................................................................................................................................................14
Time Code .......................................................................................................................................................................14
Headphone Selection......................................................................................................................................................14
Battery Indicator .............................................................................................................................................................14
Save Indicator .................................................................................................................................................................14
Card Information Field....................................................................................................................................................14
MAIN MENU ............................................................................................................................................................. 15
METADATA PAGE...................................................................................................................................................... 15
PLAYBACK CONTROL PAGE........................................................................................................................................ 16
RECORD CARD / MIRROR MENU................................................................................................................................ 17
MIRROR MODE OPTIONS..........................................................................................................................................................17
WRITE SOUND REPORT.............................................................................................................................................................17
PRIMARY RECORD MENU..........................................................................................................................................................18
Choose Primary Folder....................................................................................................................................................18
Delete Last Primary Segment..........................................................................................................................................19
Format CF Card ...............................................................................................................................................................19
ISO Attenuation...............................................................................................................................................................19
ISO Attenuation Enable...................................................................................................................................................20
Edit Current Folder Name ...............................................................................................................................................20
MIRROR ENABLES ....................................................................................................................................................................20
MIRROR SETTINGS MENU .........................................................................................................................................................21
Mirror Mode ...................................................................................................................................................................21
Folder to Mirror ..............................................................................................................................................................21
Start Segment .................................................................................................................................................................21
End Segment ...................................................................................................................................................................21
File Type Select ...............................................................................................................................................................22
File Resolution Select......................................................................................................................................................22
File Naming Style.............................................................................................................................................................22
MIRROR OPTIONS....................................................................................................................................................................22
RECORD ROUTING..................................................................................................................................................... 23
FADER ASSIGN MATRIX ............................................................................................................................................. 24
SETTING A FADER ASSIGN CROSS POINT........................................................................................................................................24
MEMORY MENU ....................................................................................................................................................... 25
STORE /RECALL MEMORY ........................................................................................................................................................25
CLEAR FADER ASSIGNS .............................................................................................................................................................25
FACTORY RESET TO DEFAULT SETTINGS .......................................................................................................................................26
STORE /RECALL USING MIRROR CARD ........................................................................................................................................26

3
ABOUT MAXX PAGE .................................................................................................................................................. 27
MODE MENU ............................................................................................................................................................ 28
SAMPLE RATE .........................................................................................................................................................................28
TC TRANSPORT .......................................................................................................................................................................29
PRE-RECORD SET.....................................................................................................................................................................29
AUTOTRIM .............................................................................................................................................................................29
AUTOPAN ..............................................................................................................................................................................29
TRANSPORT KEYS.....................................................................................................................................................................30
VFADER CYCLE ........................................................................................................................................................................30
VFADER MODE .......................................................................................................................................................................31
FOLDER CHANGE .....................................................................................................................................................................31
AES OUTPUT ATTENUATION .....................................................................................................................................................31
METER PEAK HOLD ..................................................................................................................................................................32
PUNCH-IN..............................................................................................................................................................................32
LINK INPUT .............................................................................................................................................................................32
TRANSMITTER SETUP ................................................................................................................................................ 33
TRANSMITTER ENABLE..............................................................................................................................................................33
TRANSMITTER FREQUENCY ........................................................................................................................................................33
TRANSMITTER MODE ...............................................................................................................................................................33
TRANSMITTER POWER ..............................................................................................................................................................33
TRANSMITTER SOURCE .............................................................................................................................................................33
AUTO-MIXER ............................................................................................................................................................ 34
A-MIX MODE .........................................................................................................................................................................34
MIC ON THRESHOLD ................................................................................................................................................................34
ATTACK..................................................................................................................................................................................34
DECAY ...................................................................................................................................................................................35
NOISE REDUCTION...................................................................................................................................................................35
ATTENUATION.........................................................................................................................................................................35
AUTO-MIX ENABLES ................................................................................................................................................................35
AUTO-MIXER FUNCTIONALITY ...................................................................................................................................................36
ZAXNET SETUP .......................................................................................................................................................... 37
ZAXNET ENABLE ......................................................................................................................................................................37
TRANSPORT COMMANDS ..........................................................................................................................................................37
POWER-ROLL MODE ................................................................................................................................................................37
ENG SETUP ............................................................................................................................................................... 38
COMPRESSOR ENABLE ..............................................................................................................................................................38
INPUT COMPRESSOR PARAMETER ADJUST ...................................................................................................................................38
OUTPUT COMPRESSOR PARAMETER ADJUST ................................................................................................................................39
CARD COMPRESSOR PARAMETERS ..............................................................................................................................................39
HEADPHONE NAMES ................................................................................................................................................................39
TRACK NAMES ........................................................................................................................................................................40
TRACK NAME PRESET EDIT ........................................................................................................................................................40
NOTE PRESET EDIT...................................................................................................................................................................41

4
INPUT LEVELS..........................................................................................................................................................................41
Slate Level .......................................................................................................................................................................41
Return / Analog Input 5 and 6 Levels..............................................................................................................................41
Digital Inputs 1-4 Levels..................................................................................................................................................41
Extra Input Gain ..............................................................................................................................................................41
OUTPUT LEVELS ADJUST ...........................................................................................................................................................42
XLR & Aux Output Bus Levels..........................................................................................................................................42
Mono & Tape Output Bus Levels ....................................................................................................................................42
PLAY TO OUTPUTS ...................................................................................................................................................................42
WARNINGS SETUP ...................................................................................................................................................................42
LCD BRIGHTNESS ....................................................................................................................................................................43
LED BRIGHTNESS.....................................................................................................................................................................43
TONE FREQUENCY ADJUST ........................................................................................................................................................43
TONE LEVEL ............................................................................................................................................................................43
AES 42 ENABLE ......................................................................................................................................................................43
ADVANCED SETUP....................................................................................................................................................................44
Prevent Empty Pan..........................................................................................................................................................44
Display Speed..................................................................................................................................................................44
Burn Boot loader.............................................................................................................................................................44
Debug Bits .......................................................................................................................................................................44
Upgrade Code .................................................................................................................................................................44
Allow Logging ..................................................................................................................................................................44
Log Screen.......................................................................................................................................................................44
Slate Always On...............................................................................................................................................................44
PRESSING THE TIME CODE KEY .................................................................................................................................. 45
TIME CODE SLATE....................................................................................................................................................................45
TIME CODE JAM ......................................................................................................................................................................45
ENTER TIME CODE ...................................................................................................................................................................46
Manually Entering Time Code.........................................................................................................................................46
Manually Entering User-Bit.............................................................................................................................................46
TIME CODE SETUP ...................................................................................................................................................................47
TC Mode..........................................................................................................................................................................47
TC Frame Rate.................................................................................................................................................................47
TC Displayed....................................................................................................................................................................47
TC Output........................................................................................................................................................................47
Increment UBits ..............................................................................................................................................................47
UB Date Style ..................................................................................................................................................................47
Set Date...........................................................................................................................................................................48
Time Code Routing..........................................................................................................................................................48
PRESSING THE BUS KEY ............................................................................................................................................. 49
OUTPUT BUS ASSIGN BUSSES ....................................................................................................................................................49
TAPE/MONO OUT MATRIX .......................................................................................................................................................50
CARD TRACK TONE ENABLE .......................................................................................................................................................50
CARD TRACK SLATE ENABLES .....................................................................................................................................................50

5
PRESSING THE SETUP KEY.......................................................................................................................................... 51
ANALOG SETUP MENU .............................................................................................................................................................51
ADJUSTABLE PARAMETERS ........................................................................................................................................................51
Input Compressor Linking ...............................................................................................................................................51
DIGITAL INPUT SETUP...............................................................................................................................................................51
HEADPHONE SETUP .................................................................................................................................................. 52
SETTING UP YOUR HEADPHONE MATRIX ......................................................................................................................................52
HEADPHONE MATRIX SETUP TO DECODE MS STEREO .....................................................................................................................52
PRE FADER LISTEN..................................................................................................................................................... 53
LISTENING TO INPUTS ...............................................................................................................................................................53
SETTING UP AND ENGAGING TONE............................................................................................................................ 54
ASSIGNING TONE TO OUTPUT BUSSES.........................................................................................................................................54
ASSIGNING TONE TO CARD TRACKS ............................................................................................................................................54
ADJUSTING TONE.....................................................................................................................................................................54
ENGAGING TONE .....................................................................................................................................................................54
ENTERING TEXT......................................................................................................................................................... 55
FALSE START ............................................................................................................................................................. 56
ENG BAG OPERATION................................................................................................................................................ 57
ENG PANNING........................................................................................................................................................................57
AUTOTRIM .............................................................................................................................................................................57
AUTOPAN ..............................................................................................................................................................................58
VIRTUAL FADER .......................................................................................................................................................................58
COMPACT FLASH CARDS............................................................................................................................................ 59
SYNCING MAXX TO A DENECKE SLATE........................................................................................................................ 60
MAXX CONNECTOR ASSIGNMENTS............................................................................................................................ 61
XLR –3AUDIO INPUT /OUTPUT CONNECTORS............................................................................................................................61
TA-5 AUDIO INPUT /OUTPUT CONNECTORS ...............................................................................................................................61
MONO &TAPE OUTPUT CONNECTORS (TA-5).............................................................................................................................61
HEADPHONE OUTPUT CONNECTORS (1/4” TRS)..........................................................................................................................61
POWER CONNECTOR (HIROSE-4 CONNECTOR) .............................................................................................................................61
AES DIGITAL INPUT /OUTPUT CONNECTORS (DB-15) ..................................................................................................................62
UPDATING FIRMWARE .............................................................................................................................................. 63
PRODUCT SUPPORT .................................................................................................................................................. 64
MAXX SPECIFICATIONS.............................................................................................................................................. 65
ZAXCOM WARRANTY POLICY AND LIMITATIONS........................................................................................................ 66

NOMAD LAYOUT Front Panel
6
Know Your Maxx
Front Panel
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
13 14 15 16 17 18
1. Wireless Camera Link Antenna - SMA connector
2. TC / REC Key
•In shifted mode
•A quick press opens the time code slate - additional presses will open the time code menus.
•Pressed and hold for one second, puts Maxx into record.
•In un-shifted mode
•A quick press will puts Maxx into record.
•When in setup menu press it to access the analog input 1 setup menu.
3. Red Record LED
When illuminated indicates Maxx is in Record mode.
In the Warning Setup Menu Maxx can be set up that if you are recording just to the primary folder
the LED will flash red, and when Maxx is mirroring the LED will go to solid red. This is to warn the
user that Maxx is not in Continuous Mirror Mode.
4. BUS /PLAY key
•In shifted mode
•A quick press access the bus menu – additional presses accesses additional bus menus.
•When in the ENG Home Page a single short press allows you to access the quick pan matrix.
•Pressed and held for one second, puts Maxx into playback mode.
•In un-shifted mode
•A quick press will put Maxx into playback.
•When in setup menu press it to access the analog input 2 setup menu.
5. Green Play LED
When illuminated indicates Maxx is in Playback mode.
12

NOMAD LAYOUT Front Panel
7
6. SETUP / STOP Key
•In shifted mode
•A quick press will open up the setup menu.
•Pressed and held for one second, will stop recording or stop playback.
•In un-shifted mode
•A quick press will stop recording or playback.
•A quick press with stop recording or stop playback.
7. Yellow Stop LED
When illuminated indicates Maxx is in Stop mode.
8. TONE Key
•Press to toggle Tone on and off.
•When in setup menu press it to access the analog input 4 setup menu.
9. Internal Slate Microphone
10. Color LCD Screen
Daylight-readable color LCD screen.
11. HEADPHONE Knob / BACK Knob
•Press knob to back out of a menu to the previous menu.
•Turn knob to adjust headphone volume.
•Press and hold will enter user inputted data.
12. Star key
•From the any home page, it advances to the next home page.
•In the bus routing matrix and Card Mix matrix if pressed it you will add phase reverse to your cross
point options.
•In the fader assign matrix if pressed it will add trim to your cross point options.
•If pressed and held while powering-up, Maxx will look for new software and start the update
process.
13. Fader 1 (4 total)
Each of four faders can be assigned to any channel or combination of channels, or act as a hardware
trim knob.
14. Auto-TrimTM LED (4 total)
Indicates which fader is active for AutoTrimTM.
15. Pre Fader Listen key (4 total)
•Press to listen to Pre Fader audio from the corresponding fader.
•When in setup mode press to access the AES input setup menu for the corresponding AES inputs.
•Pressing from the Meta Data menu or Track Naming menu will open the list of presets.
16. SLT key
•Press and hold key to activate the slate microphone.

NOMAD LAYOUT Front Panel
8
17. Power Key
•A quick press will power up Maxx.
•Press and hold for 3 seconds to power down. Release the key when the countdown reaches 1.
•When Auto-Pan is ON the power key will change the panning for the active channel.
18. MENU knob / SHIFT key
•From the home page press it to access the Main Menu page.
NOTE: From the AES Virtual Fader meter screen or from the ENG meter screen, when you have
virtual faders engaged, you have to push and hold to access the Main Menu.
•Turn it to scroll through the items in a menu.
•Press to select a menu item.
SHORTCUT: While scrolling through a parameter with a long list, pressing the MENU knob while
turning it will speed up the scroll speed by 10 times.

NOMAD LAYOUT Left Side Panel
9
Left Side
1
5 2 3 4
1. Battery Door
The Silver knob rotates clockwise to lock the battery compartment door. Inside, you will find space
for the battery carrier that holds six AA batteries.
NOTE: It is possible to insert the battery carrier incorrectly. Even if you insert with the contacts
reversed it will do NO harm to the unit because there is reversed current protection. It just won’t
turn on.
WARNING: Use ONLY NiMH rechargeable or Lithium batteries. If you use ANY other batteries, they
will EXPLODE and can SEVERLY damage or DESTROY the unit.
2. AES Input Output connector / GPI (DE-15F)
Maxx has AES 2 input pairs and 3 AES output pairs. The Input has a sample-rate conversion, allowing
each input to have a different sampling-rate. Maxx will accept any unlocked AES signal with a
sampling-rate of 44.1 to 96 kHz. The dynamic range of the sample-rate conversion is 124 dB, offering
completely transparent conversion of digital audio from one sample-rate to another.
3. Time code Input / Output connector (BNC) - the function of this connector is set in the time code
setup menu.
4. Compact Flash Card Mirror Media Slot
Compact Flash card is inserted with the top of the card (Label side) facing down.
WARNING:Take your time when inserting a card in Maxx. The card should slide in easily. If there is
any resistance required the card is not aligned correctly and can bend the pins.

NOMAD LAYOUT Left Side Panel
10
Right Side
1 2
1. Headphone (1/4” stereo jack)
2. External Power connector (Hirose-HR10A-7P-4P)
10 to 18 VDC {1/2 A @ 12 VDC}
3. Tape / Mono Out (TA-5M)
Outputs both the tape and mono out busses. The tape and mono out are both balanced mono
sources. The audio that is fed to these busses are controlled from the mono / tape bus matrix.
4. Output Bus 1/2 (TA-5M)
This is an isolated feed of the audio sent to the XLR bus outputs. The Levels are independently
adjustable.
5. Return / Line Level Inputs for analog in 5 and 6 (TA-5M)
•This is where a camera returns are connected. The return is wired to accept two channels of audio
so it can receive one stereo return from one camera or two mono returns from two cameras.
•This input can be used as line level analog input 5 and 6.
6. Output Bus 1/2 (XLR)
Main XLR output. Levels are independently adjustable.
3 4 5 6