Sonic Farm Creamliner / Creamliner II USER MANUAL
Contents
1. SONIC Fart Sonic Farm Pro Audio Vancouver BC Canada Tel 310 402 2390 778 863 1613 www sonicfarm com to email us please use contact box on our website Sonic Farm Creamliner Creamliner I Pentode Line Preamplifier Signal Conditioner USER MANUAL FAT AIR TUBE MODE T P K AOA 7 E E Creamliner C gt b o P Co x E class fl pentode SS OT SS OT Heer re elie 1 wall AIR TUBE MODE T P FAT AIR Toy Ye y OUTPUT SELECT D 2 Creamliner I 42 e 0 1 2 INPUT ATT OT SS BYPASS Dear Audio Professional Thank you for purchasing the Creamliner We hope it will deliver exceptional performance for many years into the future Please take the time to read this manual It describes Creamliner s design philosophy as well as its most important functions DESIGN PHILOSOPHY Our intention behind the Creamliner was to create a unique device to the moment unavailable on the market that could favorably change the sound of music mixed or produced with digital audio gear Since the inception of digital audio Recording Engineers have been commenting on its lack of warmth and weight It always left something to be desired Many plugins have been designed to remedy this condition but none has been 100 effective We hope that Creamliner will change all that It can be inserted into the mixing or mastering chain during a live performance or a studio session to glue those nasty digital artifac2. corresponding yellow LED indicator lights up in pentode mode Affects both channels simultaneously 12 Tube heater voltage indicator should come on blue with the power switch 13 Power switch CREAMLINER II Most controls are the same as above Only the differences are explained below FAT AIR TUBE MODE T P FAT AIR LINE SELECT D Ye E OUTPUT SELECT D 2 H Creamliner lI soi Farm E E p e e l 2 INPUT ATT OT SS BYPASS TRIM 2 Bypass tactile switch is now moved to the right but has the same functionality If engaged red LED will be on With power off the unit will automatically go into hardware bypass and select line 1 8 Output select switch now affects both channels at once and is a tactile switch with 2 visible LED indicators green for the output transformer and yellow for solid state balanced output The sound in both modes is unchanged 23 When pressed the new Attenuation switch reduces the tube drive by 6dB on both channels while compensating the output level by 6dB The signal presence overload LED s will glow less showing the attenuated signal The output will sound a bit cleaner but with no loudness change CREAMLINER S REAR PANEL CONTROLS DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE 115V AC 60Hz FUSE GND LIFT MADE IN CANADA DISCONNECT FROM MAINS BEFORE SERVICING PES MANUFACTURER ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR 9 A DAMAGE TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY CAUSED BY A USE OF THIS EQUIPMENT NO USER SERVICABLE PARTS INSIDE 6
3. 00mA GNDON SN 14 AC power inlet Always operate the unit on the mains voltage it was designed for 115VAC or 220 240VAC We purposely omitted the mains voltage selector as a wrong voltage setting can cause a lot of damage to the unit Creamliner s power transformer can be rewired for a different operating voltage but that is something only a qualified service technician would do 15 Mains fuse Please replace it only with the one of value indicated 600mMA 115VAC 300mMA 220 240VAC 16 Ground lift switch It should normally be kept in Gnd On position However if you encounter hum when the unit is patched into your system switch it over to Gnd Lift This will remove hum due to ground loops only it will not help eliminate hum that comes in with the signal Do not disconnect the ground wire on your 3 prong mains plug 17 and 18 Outputs Balanced connection only XLR pin connection 1 GND 2 HOT 3 COLD Creamliner can put out up to 32dBU of level 19 and 20 Line 2 inputs Balanced connection only XLR pin connection 1 GND 2 HOT 3 COLD 21 and 22 Line 1 inputs Balanced connection only XLR pin connection 1 GND 2 HOT 3 COLD TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 2 channels Frequency response 10Hz 50kHz 3dB Maximum gain 20dB Harmonic distortion lt 2 before clipping level quickly decreases if driven less Maximum output level 32dBu Minimum output load 6000 Connectors XLR line and o
4. at kind of tone 7 Output level Does not affect tube gain or overload level just determines how hard the output buffer transformer and ultimately the load are driven The Creamliner may drive your next unit into clipping even though the red light doesn t indicate any distortion In that case reduce the output level If used wit a live PA system this control will typically be set to match the level when unit is bypassed 8 Output select low distortion solid state IC or transformer driven by a discrete buffer Solid state mode will sound somewhat cleaner and the transformer rounder and fatter Creamliner is fitted with 100 Fe transformers This switch affects one channel only 9 and 10 Low and high frequency shelving boost starting at 400 or 600Hz and 2 2kHz or 7kHz respectively Mid position is flat This is a subtle tone control meant for a gentle boost adding depth or air to the signal It does not use a Separate stage rather it utilizes the tube gain stage only one in the signal chain The boost level can be adjusted by 2 trim pots marked 3 and 4 Use a mini slot 098 2 5mm 031 0 8mm wide or hex 104 2 64mm hex x 055 1 4mm deep screw driver to adjust pots The default settings are maximum 4 5dB in triode 9dB in pentode mode 6dB octave Low boost uses a real inductor for a fat tone 11 Triode Pentode mode switch Pentode mode has a somewhat different tone character due to abundant even order harmonics The
5. ge of the vertical PC board the one containing the tube with you right hand pull out the tube with your left hand Small but fast forward reverse motion may be needed to loosen the tube from a tight socket Do not bend the tube much out of the axis because you can break the pins or cause air to enter the tube and destroy it Paying attention to the pin alignment push the replacement tube into the socket using same motions but in the opposite direction Make sure it goes in all the way Due to electric shock danger testing the preamp with the lid removed is not recommended Screw the cover back in place and you re done CREAMLINER S FRONT PANEL CONTROLS 1 Line select tactile switch Selects between stereo line input pairs 1 and 2 Corresponding LED lights This is useful in a live setting to switch between 2 consoles one in operation and the other in preparation Always plug the first line signal into Line 1 2 Bypass tactile switch If engaged red LED will be on With power off the unit will automatically go into hardware bypass and select line 1 3 and 4 Trimpots used to adjust the level of fat and air boost See 9 and 10 5 Trimpot used to adjust the output level in Pentode mode to be equal to the level in Triode mode Adjust after changing tubes 6 Bi color LED green red signal presence overload indicator Red indicates clipping distortion It means that you are driving the Creamliner way too hot Back off a little unless you want th
6. inted objects especially metal or liquids penetrate the inside of the unit through its cooling grilles or otherwise If that accidentally occurs immediately pull the plug out of the power socket and wait for the unit to discharge Creamliner must not be operated if moisture penetrates inside Before opening the unit to change tube wipe off moisture etc one must disconnect the mains cord and then wait several minutes for the internal capacitors to discharge When mounting in a rack enclosure always leave an empty space above the Creamliner to ensure proper cooling Please do not replace the mains fuse with one of a higher value use only 600mMA 115V 500mA also works fine 250 to 300mMA 220 240V Legal Disclaimer Neither Sonic Farm nor anybody associated with it can take any liability for damage to persons or property caused by either use modification or servicing this unit HOW TO CHANGE TUBES This only applies to a functional unit Please entrust any repairs to qualified service personnel Only an EF 86 or equivalent like 6267 6CF8 or Russian 6J32P pentode can be used Pull out the power cord Wait for at least 10 minutes for all the capacitors to discharge Remove Creamliner s cover by loosening screws encircled red and marked with an asterisk 3 on the rear panel and one on the front one as well as all side screws 4 on either side You will need an Allen wrench some models will have Phillips screws While pressing on the ed
7. ts and impart warmth and softness to the mix To achieve this the Creamliner uses a pentode an input and an output transformer The latter can be bypassed and replaced with a solid state balanced driver The pentode tube has a purpose to impart pleasant even order harmonics to the sound while the transformers tame down the fast digital overshoots and thereby yield warmth to the sound An EF86 pentode operating in class A is Creamliner s only active gain stage It can be configured to work in either triode or pentode mode Bypassing cathode selectively using inductors and capacitors yields a subtle but very musical tone control This circuit exhibits a certain non linearity coloration the harmonic distortion may exceed 1 before the actual clipping occurs To preserve it we purposely refrained from using transformer tap negative feedback found in many circuits Instead the tube stage is followed by a solid state buffer and the output level control Finally a modern discrete transistor complementary buffer with extremely low distortion is used to drive the output transformer and the load The standard output transformer has 100 Fe cores This along with a switchable solid state balanced output gives the final tone coloring SOME REMINDERS REGARDING TUBES Tubes work with very high supply voltages There are points inside Creamliner that measure in excess of 350V DC If touched those voltages could be lethal Make sure that no po
8. utput balanced only Power consumption 30W WARRANTY INFORMATION Sonic Farm gives a one year warranty on parts and labor from the date of purchase Should you need to send in your unit for warranty covered service please contact us for an RMA number first We will also tell you where to send the unit Any Modification of the unit voids the warranty CONTACT INFORMATION Sonic Farm Sonic Farm Pro Audio Vancouver BC Canada Tel 310 402 2390 778 863 1613 www sonicfarm com to email us please use contact box on our website
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