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1. 15 A 0 4o so e0100 160200 sis abo_ 630800 e 25 amp s 10125 AIB LINK 0 A 8 6 Allows you to toggle between channels or link them together Channel A Channel B Slider Select Position Indicator Position Indicator The LINK feature maintains the relative levels of the two channels while moving both Use the left and right arrow buttons to choose the filter you wish to adjust as indicted by the cursor at the bottom of the screen The data wheel will move the sliders up or down The A channel position indicator is a hollow square the B channel is indicated by a smaller solid rectangle When the two channels position indicators are at the same point they will show as a large solid square Section 10 Graphic EQ 10 Graphic EQ Curve Display One powerful feature of the POWER Q is its ability to display the total frequency response curve at the output stage of the unit integrating all its equalization graphic parametric FBX and high and low pass filters 23 F 3150 A 00 B 09 15 Fig 35 Curve display i Lo tll ill 12516 125315 5 63 10125 d 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K This curve is superimposed on the graphic screen and is accessed by pushing the soft key labeled CURVE This key can be toggled to show the frequency response curve of channel A CU A channel B CU B or both channels to
2. ssssssssssssssseseeeeee enne nennen teneret nennen 10 6 1 Quest for loudness 6 2 Quest for clarity Optimizing the Sound System and the Room with the POWER Q Five Steps 12 7 1 Step One The physical space 7 2 Step Two Time alignment of speakers 7 3 Step Three Setting the system and room to a flat response curve 7 4 Step Four Tweaking the EQ 7 5 Step Five FBX filters Using the POWER Q Digital Delay sese 14 amp l 8 1 Digital delay applications and use 4 8 2 POWER Q digital delay adjustments Manual and automatic c sing the POWER Q Automatic Room EQ ssssssssseeeeee en 23 9 1 What is Automatic Room EQ 9 2 How Automatic Room EQ works 9 3 Reference microphone choice 9 4 Reference microphone placement Ti Pi Wily 4 uy 9 5 POWER Q controls for Automatic Room EQ 10 0 Using the POWER Q Graphic Equalizer sese 29 10 1 Graphic equalizer applications 10 2 POWER Q graphic EQ screens and options Graphic EQ Curve Display Reset Filters a il 11 0 Using the POWER Q FBX Parametric Equalizer teense 32 E 11 1 Types of filters Fixed FBX Dynamic FBX and Parametric ty 11 2 FBX TURBO Auto TURBO setup modes mode Hy 11 3 POWER Q FBX parametric filter adjustments Hy 11 4 Filter control menu List Mode and Curve Mode Hy 11 5 The MORE button for the FBX
3. HANDS ON BYPASS OPTIONS BYPASS HARDWARE Program EQ and Room EQ Fig 76 Bypass screen Program EQ onl Room EQ only X None Select option amp press ENTER MAIN to exit d Al 1l TNT tl Ll ll UN ll TT 20 25 40 50 80100 160200 315400 630800 1 251 6 263 15 5 63 10125 20 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Bypassing all or part of the POWER Q s processing can be a useful feature when comparing before and after settings Bypass options are selected using the up down arrow keys and the ENTER button Options available include the following HARDWARE Choosing this option routes the input signal directly to the output jack completely bypassing the POWER Q circuitry This hardware bypass is also automatically engaged if electrical power to the POWER Q fails Care must be taken in placing the unit in HARDWARE bypass after setting FBX filters as the feedback you ve been eliminating may pay you an instant unwelcome visit For this reason the POWER Q will ask you to confirm your request for a HARDWARE bypass Note that when the POWER Q is in HARDWARE bypass BPASS will flash in the upper right corner of the display in every screen Program EQ and Room EQ Choosing this option will bypass the two sets of graphic EQ filters in the POWER Q Room EQ represents the changes imposed by the POWER Q during Automatic Room EQ Program EQ represents the changes imposed by the user in addition to the Room
4. Fig 15 Auto Delay page 8 2 POWER Q DIGITAL DELAY ADJUSTMENTS Manual amp Automatic To access the POWER Q digital delay controls choose 7 DIGITAL DELAY from the MAIN MENU Use the up and down arrow keys to scroll the MAIN MENU screen and the soft key or ENTER key to select DIGITAL DELAY You will be presented with the following screen DIGITAL DELAY II msec 01 6 feet 00 5 meters DISTANCE TO SPEAKER 00 0 feet 00 0 meters egg 20 0 1 25 1 6 253 16 5 63 10125 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K You may set the delay time for channels A and B independently either manually or automatically Manual adjustment Delay time can be set in milliseconds feet or meters with an adjustment resolution of 20 microseconds approximately 1 cm or half an inch Adjusting any one delay parameter automatically changes the corresponding readout in the unselected measurement units The time unit display will always be the most accurate The distance displays are approxi mations based on the speed of sound at standard temperature and pressure conditions 1127 feet second at 20 degrees C and 760 mm Hg atmospheric pressure The minimum delay time allowable is 1 38 milliseconds per channel the maximum is 83 2 milliseconds Note that manually adjusting the digital delay during audio program may cause discontinuities popping sounds while the adjustments are made This is unavoidable and will cease when the delay is set Delay times may al
5. Live sound reinforcement can be a challenging business Look what we have to deal with The guitar player turns up to 11 and still complains that she can t hear herself The podium speaker points the mic at his sternum and mumbles drowned out by the chatter of people eating dinner in a boxy hotel convention room The rock singer asks for no DEMANDS a monitor level loud enough to hear over a drag race in a hurricane The minister clips on the lavalier mic and wan ders around while preaching sometimes right past the speaker cabinet As an antidote to premature aging and undue stress we at Sabine have dedicated ourselves to simplifying the demands of live sound amplification by creating adaptive equipment that handles some of the tedious but important mixing chores automatically This allows sound engineers to concentrate on making a mix sound good instead of dealing with acoustical problems The POWER Q s features are designed to help you achieve two important goals in sound rein forcement getting more gain before feedback and more clarity and definition in the sound At the risk of sounding like a drill sergeant let s call this the desire to be LOUD and CLEAR 6 1 QUEST FOR LOUDNESS At least two bad things happen in the pursuit of loudness putting aside the deafness potential feedback and lack of headroom Let s consider headroom first The dynamic range of DSP is limited by the word length of an individual datum The more
6. on rz gj aya oes en E Bar Bypass Preset Saved Hop Fi Lofiuded 5TEM DEFAULT Automatic Room EQ Front Panel LEDs F12 FBX Parametric F3 High amp Low Pass Filters Global E44 Freq Parameters F4 Response Stored F9 Curve Configurations Digital FS EGER nde Noise Gate Expander Compressor Limiter F6 Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control ERE a SO Main RTA Screen Lower Below the EQ RTA screen are a host of options which permit convenient control of various POWER Q functions from a single location on your monitor Their functions are identical to those on the front panel of the POWER Q Figure 66 provides descriptions for each option Channel EQ Bypass Options Control Options Noise Generator Options EQ Bypass ATA Decay Channel Eq Channel Speed Fig 66 Lower L A mpuM j Cad Fast Main M rere Curve Feak Hold RATA RTA Type Sec weighting Screen Filter Reset Curve RTA Controls Delay ow ete Options Adjustments Selections Selections channel EQ types Channel EQ control options Selects control of Channel A alone Channel B alone or A B linked NOTE THAT CHANNEL A CONTROLS AND FUNCTIONS ARE ALWAYS INDICATED IN RED CHANNEL B s ARE INDICATED IN BLUE Bypass options Choose among bypassing all hardware Program EQ only Room EQ only or both Program and Room EQ Bypass affects the audio signal and Program and or Room EQ Bypass will also affect the
7. 3 COPY 31 BAND EQ When selected the functions below are copied Fig 73 Copy options screen 31 Band Graphic EQ boost cut 4 COPY ALL PARAMETERS except filters When selected the functions below are copied Delay Settings Compressor threshold ratio knee Limiter threshold attack time release time Expander threshold ration knee Noise gate threshold attack time release time Output level EQ filter width FBX Filter width max depth tracking persistence sensitivity Bypass Phantom power 20 dB reference microphone roll off Note that all changes made after COPY is executed are NOT copied unless the copy procedure is IMPORTANT repeated as described above Read This Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control POWER Q Control Priorities In order to avoid possible conflicts that could be created by attempted intentional or accidental simultaneous control of a POWER Q from both the unit s front panel and the remote software the following priority of control has been established When the Sabine Remote Software is first launched control of all connected POWER Qs is given to the software When this condition occurs the POWER Qs under software control display the ENTER PASSWORD screen on their front panels Entering a user defined password or simply pressing ENTER if no password has been created on any POWER Q remote will give control of that unit to the unit itself When this happe
8. 9 5 POWER Q CONTROLS FOR AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ Select AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ from the display window by pushing soft key 1 from the MAIN MENU Automatic Setup Pg1 Pleaseremain quietduring setup DONOTRUNDURINGA PERFORMANCE Make sure POWER Q and micare properly Fig 26 Automatic Room EQ page 1 connected Highlightdesired choice and press ERtocontinue or CANCEL toexit Init Init A amp B Lila 25 ahs 1 ds bids d 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Because pink noise is played at audible levels do not run this procedure during a performance or even during rehearsal You should run the Automatic Room EQ procedure BEFORE the performers or audi ence arrive To prevent accidental injection of pink noise through your sound system the Automatic Room EQ function requires you to deliberately choose the procedure by hitting the ENTER button when prompted You may run the Automatic Room EQ analysis for either the A channel alone the B channel alone or both channels in sequence depending on your application of the POWER Q Select INIT A INIT B or INIT A amp B using the left right arrow keys before hitting the ENTER button to begin the analysis NOTE Any time you run the Automatic Room EQ for a given channel it will erase and replace the previous analysis for the channel s chosen In addition the current program shaping curve will be erased from active memory though you may save the program curve and reload it from memory For
9. Type Frequency 1 PARAM 250 0 20 01 2 FBX F 458 0 10 03 3 FBX F 837 0 10 06 4 5 6 FBXF 956 0 10 01 PARAM 1242 0 10 04 FBX D off 0 10 00 ll in 6 63 1012 8K 4bo edo 800 1 25 115 25 os s h 500 1K 2K 4K 16K LIST MODE The POWER Q provides up to 12 filters per channel for parametric equalization or feedback control Each of these 12 filters can be set to any of the three types of filters paramet ric FBX fixed or FBX dynamic Only six of the filters are displayed at a time the remaining six will be displayed when the arrow keys are used to scroll above or below the screen currently displayed Arrowing down from the 12th filter accesses the controls for setting high pass HPF and low pass LPF filters for each channel individually Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the Type field of the filter you wish to change Rotating the data wheel will select among three filter options parametric FBX D for dynamic and FBX F for fixed The third soft key button LOCK locks the FBX F filters they are locked when the display reads LOCK and will cause relevant filter labels to read FBX L This button should be toggled to LOCK until the FBX fixed filters are set CURVE MODE Pressing the CURVE LIST soft key switches the tabular LIST mode to a frequency response plot representing the sum total of all EQ settings graphic parametric FBX HPF LPF in channel A or B Soft key 4 s
10. Dimensions 2 U rack mount 19 x 3 5 x 9 in 48 3 x 9 x 22 9 cm 9 Ib 3 9 Kg Options ADF 4SLU Blank front panel two channel slave unit for remote control with your computer and POWER Q for WIndows DA I O AES EBU Digital I O add to standard analog Remote Control Serial RS232 remote control of POWER Q for Windows The POWER Q ADF 4000 is compliant with all Year 2000 Y2K standards Specifications subject to change without notice Tests performed using an Audio Precision System One model 322 or equal Signal to noise ratio is the ratio or the maximum undistorted signal by specification 26dBV RMS sinewave to the noise floor One year limited warranty Section 26 Cautions Warranty Section 26 Cautions amp Warranty Warning This equipment must be earthed Caution Risk of electric shock Do not open Caution Shock hazard Do not remove covers No user serviceable parts inside Refer servicing to qualified service personnel Warning To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock do not expose this product to rain or moisture Attention Cet appareil doit tre reli la terre Attention Risque de choc lectrique ne pas ouvrir Attention Risque de choc ne pas oter les capots Aucune pi ce acces sible l int rieur S addresser un technicien qualifi Attention Pour r duire le risque d incendie ou de choc lectrique ne pas laisser l appareil sous la plouie ou l humidit Achtung
11. tance call the Sabine Customer Service Depart ment at 904 418 2000 Monday through Friday 9 30 a m to 5 30 p m Eastern NO AUDIO COMING FROM POWER Q OUTPUT Check connections Are input and output reversed Is the POWER Q LED showing signal If no make sure the unit is not in BYPASS mode and that audio signal is feeding POWER Q input If yes check connections and gain downstream from POWER Q AUDIO CUTS ON AND OFF Check POWER Q noise gate settings Check connec tions for intermittence AUDIO PUMPS Check POWER Q compression settings SPEAKER STACKS PLAY AUDIO OUT OF SYNC Check POWER Q delay settings FEEDBACK NOT BEING REMOVED Check filter availability Check Persistence and Sensi tivity settings Make sure unit is not in BYPASS AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ DOES NOT WORK Check reference mic mic cable connections and phan tom power Make sure audio signal is playing through the POWER Q POWER Q APPEARS TO BE CATCHING FEEDBACK BUT FEEDBACK STILL PRESENT See Section 7 2 If you have the POWER Q patched in an effects or auxiliary loop you will only catch the feedback in the effects loop and not the mixer input channel Or you may have used up all the available FBX filters leaving no additional filters for new feedback frequencies FEEDBACK FREQUENCIES CLUSTERED TOGETHER Try using a graphic equalizer to flatten the room There may be a big frequency bump in a r
12. u Ld delayed signal reduces the VIV V W U M 1 comb filters effect V signal has 10dB less ampli 20000 f A f hi fA AA A i TELELE VIV Fig 10 Comb filters get closer as delay time increases 1 000 3 000 y V V 4 000 5 000 6 000 7 000 8 000 9 000 10 00 0 0 1 00k 2 00k 3 00k 4 00k 5 00k 6 00k 7 00k 8 00k 9 00k 10 0k Calculating Comb Filter Frequencies The frequencies of the reinforcements and cancellations depend on the delay time the time difference between the arrival time of the original signal and the delayed signal The frequency of the first cancellation occurs at 1 2t Hz where t the delay time in seconds The cancellations are separated by 1 t Hz Fig 11 shows how the comb filters change with the delay time Delay time 0 002 sec Delay time 0 003 sec Delay time 0 004 sec Cancellation Reinforcement Cancellation Reinforcement Cancellation Reinforcement Freq Hz Freq Hz Freq Hz Freq Hz Freq Hz Freq Hz 250 500 167 333 125 250 750 1000 500 667 375 500 1250 1500 833 1000 625 750 1750 2000 1167 1333 875 1000 2250 2500 1500 1667 1125 1250 2750 3000 1833 2000 1375 1500 3250 3500 2167 2333 1625 1750 3750 4000 2500 2667 1875 2000 4250 4500 2833 3000 2125 2250 Comb Filter Amplitude If the original signal and the delayed signal are the same amplitude the reinforced frequencies in
13. Dieses Ger t muss schutzgeerdet sein Achtung Gefar eines elektrischen Stormschlags Gehause nicht ffnen Achtung Gefar eines elektrischen Stormschlags Geh use nicht ffnen Keine con Benutzer zu bedienenden Teile im Ger teinneren berlassen Sie das Ger t zu Servicezwecken nur geschultem Fachpersonal Um Brandgefar oder das Risiko eines elektrischen Schlags auszuschlieBen das Ger t vor N sse und Feuchtigkeit sch tzen Advertencia Este equipo debe estar conectado a tierra Precauci n Reisgo de descarga el ctrica No abrir Precauci n Riesgo de descarga el ctrica No desmontar las tapas Piezas interiores no reparables por el usuario Reparable s lo por per sonal cualificado Advertencia Para reducir el riesgo de incendio o de descarga el ctrica no exponga este producto a la lluvia o humedad FCC Statement This device complies with Part 15 Class B of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following conditions 1 This device may not cause harm ful interference and 2 This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation Warning Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user s authority to operate the equipment NOTE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules These limits are des
14. It is possible to interrupt the Automatic Room EQ function at any time by pressing the CAN CEL soft key This will return you to the MAIN MENU If you do this after the procedure begins but prior to its conclusion the ROOM EQ response will be reset to zero boost cut Important Note that the AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ function will NOT add more than 6 dB boost to any EQ slider Also note that the Graphic EQ screen on the POWER Q will NOT show any boost or cut of sliders after the Automatic Room EQ function is completed The Auto Room EQ settings are shown only as a superimposed response curve leaving the EQ sliders free for you to make additional changes to the EQ what we call Program EQ The total EQ and filtering added by the POWER Q will produce an EQ curve that can be displayed by pressing the third soft key CURVE CU A CU B CUA amp B which selects the curve display you desire either channel singly both channels together or no curve Prior to adding or when bypassing these features using the BYPASS screen from the MAIN MENU any additional filtering or program EQ this curve will display the adjustments calculated by the POWER Q to make the room system response as flat as possible at the reference microphone position Different curve display options thus can show the results of separate POWER Q EQ adjustments or all adjustments together For more information see Section 10 Section 10 Graphic EQ 10 Graphic EQ Section 10 Using
15. fact the POWER Q goes a step further providing you with some very powerful advantages for mak ing a sound system sound as good as it can You can arrive at a baseline flat response curve by one of two methods by performing the POWER Q Automatic Room EQ function see Section 9 or by using the RTA to analyze pink or white noise played through your sound system into a reference microphone see Section 13 However you may not want to stop there Many sound engineers can improve the sound of a flat response system and will tweak the sound of the EQ further perhaps changing the overall frequency balance to match the performers style or the requirements of a par ticular application In such situations the POWER Q truly lives up to its name To fully understand the powerful options made available with the POWER Q think of the unit as containing two separate graphic EQs The first EQ is automatically set by the POWER Q using the Automatic Room EQ function see Section 9 Its function is to make the frequency response of the acoustical environment as even as possible or flat We call this response curve the Room EQ Although the POWER Q makes graphic EQ adjustments to produce the Room EQ the actual slider settings for these adjustments are NOT displayed instead the graphic EQ screen will display a graphic EQ settings as flat Think of this as the default starting point for you to sculpt sound adding EQ as needed for the various applications y
16. information for optimizing an input s EQ using the console s equalizer controls on the appropriate channel During performance when the entire audio output of the console is routed through the POWER Q you will see the audio program s frequency map This may help you determine a proper frequency balance of the overall mix using POWER Q graphic EQ controls ffeedback arises during sound check or performance the swelling frequency of the feedback will be apparent on the RTA thus indicating the frequency to attenuate in order to remove the feedback The POWER Q FBX feature will do this for you automatically Section 14 Compressor Limiter 14 Compressor Limiter Section 14 Using The POWER Q Compressor Limiter BACKGROUND HANDS ON ry Fig 49 Compressor limiter screen 14 1 COMPRESSOR LIMITER APPLICATIONS AND USE The dynamic range how loud to how quiet of the human ear is something on the order of a ratio of a billion to one i e the loudness of a sound like a close jet engine is a billion times louder than the level of air molecules striking the human eardrum Any sound reproduction that depends on electronics will fall far short of the dynamic range of our hearing limited at the quiet extreme by noise inherent in the system and at the loud extreme by clipping distortion Passing an audio signal through any electronic circuit will create noise often a VERY tiny amount and much
17. walls corners or large structures in the middle of a room Keep the mic relatively close to the front of house speakers the direct sound field where reflected sounds are lower in magnitude relative to the sound coming directly from the speakers The larger the component of reflected sound in the sound heard by the reference mic the greater the phase cancellation and comb filtering Bass frequency analysis is more prone to measurement anomalies than higher frequencies The smaller the room the greater the problem Use your ears and listen to bass response at different room locations in addition to considering the information and analysis of the POWER Q When running a mono sound source through two or more speaker stacks or enclosures run Auto matic Room EQ using only one speaker cabinet or stack since sound arriving from multiple point sources will arrive at the microphone at different times When running a stereo source through a stereo sound system the POWER Q will automatically analyze one channel at a time in sequence But again multiple speakers in the sound path of either channel should be selectively disconnected so only one speaker plays sound during the analysis NOTE Make sure you plug only a microphone level signal into the POWER Q reference microphone input Do not plug a microphone preamp into the reference input This may cause the reference mic board to overheat and damage the POWER Q and will not be covered by the warranty
18. Carrier Detect 2 2 2 3 RD Receive Data BACKGROUND 3 3 3 2 TD Transmit Data 4 4 4 20 DTR Data Terminal Ready Fig 61 Pin Configuration 5 5 5 7 Signal Common 6 6 6 4 DSR Data Set Ready 1 7 1 5 RTS Request to Send 8 8 8 22 CTS Clear To Send 9 9 9 9 RI Ring Indicator For connecting up to eight POWER Qs use standard 9 pin to 9 pin connectors described above POWER Q input is labeled SERIAL and the output is labeled NETWORK It is not neces sary to connect the last unit in the chain back to the computer Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control HANDS ON ry HANDS ON ry 20 2 INSTALLING SABINE POWER Q REMOTE SOFTWARE Follow these instructions for installing the Sabine Remote Control Software 1 Start Windows 3 1 or Windows 95 2 Insert Remote Control disc into your disc drive 3 Select the Windows 3 1 Program Manager FILE then RUN or the Windows 95 start button 4 Type A SETUP and press ENTER NOTE If you are using the B drive substitute B for A 5 Follow the instructions on the screen You need only choose the directory where you want to install the POWER Q program The program suggests C ADF4000 6 Now you have a Program group window called ADF4000 and an icon called ADF4000 20 3 USING SABINE POWER Q REMOTE SOFTWARE 1 Selecting option 10 from the POWER Q MAIN MENU will display the Remote Control window This is only an information
19. EQ Program EQ only Room EQ only None No function or EQ in the POWER Q is bypassed all are active The placement of the X will indicate which bypass option is currently engaged The option with the X means the selected features are NOT in the audio signal path Make your choice by moving the X up and down with the arrow keys and hit ENTER when you ve made your choice The screen will not change when bypassing Program or Room EQ options or both together to facilitate quick before and after comparisons of what you re accomplishing with your EQs You may elect to exit the BYPASS screen and study the EQ curve display in either the Graphic EQ or FBX Parametric screens the curve will reflect the EQ left after subtracting the bypassed filters In the graphic EQ screen if the Program EQ is bypassed the sliders will not move and the screen will read BYPASS SLIDERS LOCKED If you re concerned about the potential feedback problems that may arise in the very unlikely event of a POWER Q failure during a performance you can relieve your concerns by program ming a 10 dB boost into the output signal path see Section 17 If power to the unit is inter rupted system gain will be reduced by 10 dB enough to prevent feedback from occurring Section 23 Pro s Guide 23 Pro s Guide Section 23 Using The ADF A Pro s Guide With Ken Newman Hl BACKGROUND Ken Newman s career as a sound engin
20. FILTER WIDTH 1 00 Oct eters screen page FBX FILTER WIDTH 0 10 Oct FBX MAX DEPTH 40 dB ab eb orto rdozbo slsado slo oto b idsiis 2531s 5 os roids 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 4K 8K 16K 6 2k SCREEN CONTRAST changes the tilt of the front panel LCD allowing the display to be adjusted to optimal legibility MANUAL OUTPUT LEVEL ADJUST adjusts the signal level at the output stage of the POWER Q It is adjustable in half dB increments from 32 dB to 32 dB relative to unity gain DIGITAL CLIP LEVEL allows you to adjust the analog input level to optimize the available dynamic range of the A D conversion The output level of the D A conversion is compensated reciprocally to preserve unity gain from the input to the output Too high an input level will cause clipping and too low a level will result in noise This parameter is adjustable from 0 05 dBu to 31 dBu in half dB steps When CLIP ADJUST is set to AUTO this control is defeated CLIP ADJUST allows either manual control over the clip level see above or automatic control with Sabine s patent pending ClipGuard ClipGuard works transparently to optimize the dynamic range of the A D converter preserves unity gain and increases the effective dynamic range of the POWER Q to over 110 dB We highly recommend leaving the CLIP ADJUST control set to CLIPGUARD EQ FILTER WIDTH sets the width of the graphic EQ filters as defined by the wid
21. FLORIDA USA declare that the product AUDIO EQUALIZER SABINE MODEL ADF4000 Is in conformity with Council Directive 73 23 EEC and 89 336 EEC EMC Directives Standards to which conformity is declared EN 55103 1 1997 EN 55022 Class B EN 55103 2 1997 EN 60065 1996 Year of Manufacture 1997 Manufacturer Signature Date May 29 2002 Name Gary L Miller Dir of Engineering Tested by Sabine Inc Date May 9 1997
22. IN HEARING LOSS EAR PLUGS OR PROTECTORS IN THE EAR CANALS OR OVER THE EARS MUST BE WORN WHEN OPERATING THIS DEVICE INORDER TO PREVENT A PERMANENT HEARING LOSS IF EXPOSURE IS IN EXCESS OF THE LIMITS AS SET FORTH ABOVE TO ENSURE AGAINST POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EXPOSURE TO HIGH SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS ITIS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL PERSONS EXPOSED TO EQUIPMENT CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HIGH SOUND PRESSURE LEVELS SUCH AS THIS DEVICE BE PROTECTED BY HEARING PROTECTORS WHILE THIS UNIT IS IN OPERATION Section 26 Cautions Warranty CAUTION This apparatus contains a lithium battery Replacement shall be made by qualified service personnel only Call Sabine at 386 418 2000 or consult an authorized Sabine agent Made in USA FBX and FBX Feedback Exterminator are registered trademarks of Sabine Inc and are the brand names of its line of automatic feedback controllers Covered by U S Patent No 5 245 665 Australian Patent No 653 736 Canadian Patent No 2 066 624 2 German Patent No 69118486 0 and U K Patent No 0486679 Other patents pending REAL Q and REAL Q2 are protected by U S Patent No 5 506 910 Other patents pending POWER Q REAL Q and REAL Q2 are trademarks of Sabine Inc Copyright 2003 All rights reserved Limited Warranty THIS LIMITED WARRANTY VALID ONLY WHEN PURCHASED AND REGISTERED IN THE UNITED STATES OR CANADA ALL EXPORTED PRODUCTS ARE SUBJECT TO WAR RANTY AND SERVICES TO BE SPECIFIED AND PROVIDED BY THE AUTHORIZED DIST
23. Lol Lg ld 12516 25315 5 63 10125 K 2K 4K 8K 16K These are the high and low end roll off filters that are used to custom tailor the Ilow and high end frequency response A high pass filter allows frequencies higher than a set value to pass in other words it filters out low frequencies and the opposite happens with a low pass filter The HIGH PASS FILTER can be used to suppress phenomena such as low frequency rumble while the LOW PASS FILTER can be used for attenuating high frequency hiss or for band limiting the POWER Q s output signal for telecommunications This screen allows setting of the high and low pass filter points The HIGH PASS FILTER can be inserted starting at any frequency up to 3 000 Hz The LOW PASS FILTER can be inserted from 1 000 to 20 000 Hz Note that turning the data wheel to the extreme low range of the HPF and the extreme high range of the LPF turns the filters off Section 13 RTA 13 RTA Section 13 Using The POWER Q RTA When either 30 or 15 dB scale is chosen arrows appear they indicate you can scroll up or down the scale in 5 dB increments using the front panel up down arrow keys Al BACKGROUND ry HANDS ON Fig 44 RTA screen Fig 45 Noise generation option screen 13 1 USING A REAL TIME ANALYZER Although it is possible to achieve excellent results setting up the EQ for a room using the POWER Q s Automatic Room EQ see Se
24. Y i9 69 80100 160200 315400 630800 1 251 6 2 5 3 Lg hs 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 5 63 0 126 D 8K 16K To execute an option arrow to your choice and push the ENTER button If you select any option other than ALL OF THE ABOVE your reset command will be executed but the screen menu will remain until CANCEL is pushed in order to allow you to reset more than one type of filter with a minimum of commands and screen changes Press CANCEL when you have reset all the filters you want Selecting and executing ALL OF THE ABOVE will return you to the graphic EQ screen without the CANCEL command being necessary Please note that ALL OF THE ABOVE will not reset Room EQ which must be reset individually Section 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQS 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQs Section 11 Using The POWER Q FBX Parametic EQ Al BACKGROUND 11 1 TYPES OF FILTERS Fixed FBX Dynamic FBX and Parametric FBX Feedback Exterminator Filters The POWER Q is the most recent refinement of the patented Sabine FBX technology that allows the unit to automatically sense and eliminate feedback The POWER Q offers two types of FBX automatic feedback control filters FIXED and DYNAMIC FIXED filters provide gain before feed back DYNAMIC filters eliminate transient feedback that comes and goes throughout the program Follow the procedures described on pages 9 amp 33 to teach the FBX automatic feedba
25. appears to the right of the top tool bar anytime noise is being generated in any POWER Q otherwise it is invisible and will turn off noise in all POWER Qs The DELETE button on your computer keyboard will do the same Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control ja Revit Fitters Oates Delay adjustments Use the arrow keys to adjust the delay eee up or down for one channel at a time O Fi Flac in O FER Fitters E D Fenice Fite Ai D Preece fae m E Filter reset options Clicking this button opens up the screen ee ee at right O Pinpin ee on a D Passam FO Fike ia OS y Ad here Highs ceed Lem Fiii Fdiesi You may reset all or selected filter varieties in either or both Ha channels for the POWER Q you have selected to control ERA C Unlike the POWER Q itself the remote software allows mul tiple filter types to be reset with one command execution com Fig 67 Filter reset options A POWER V2 03 on Comm Serial Connections Efe Selec janba Opione If there is more than a single POWER Q connected to the network mi Ei these boxes represent the POWER Qs connected in the serial S Ss network They may be identified by serial number or by a user LINE defined name The POWER Q indicated by a white highlight is the nE Fig 68 Serial amp Link unit controlled by the remote software The selected POWER Q I Functions may be changed with a mouse click or by holding down the co
26. e euo a E i TILLLTHTLTTT Power X Mixer Amp Speakers Section 4 Installation 4 Installation The reference microphone for the POWER Q plugs in the back of the unit into the jack labeled Ref A The Ref B jack is blank THE POWER Q SHOULD NOT BE USED IN THE FOLLOWING CONFIGURATIONS Do not plug a microphone directly into the channel A or B XLR input connections on the back of the POWER Q These plugs are for balanced line level inputs not microphones Do not use the POWER Q in an effects or auxiliary loop Since such a patch is designed for mixing processed wet and unprocessed dry signals together in a variable proportion the processing of the POWER Q will be mixed with the unprocessed signal Do not patch the output of any amplifier into any POWER Q input This will VOID your warranty IMPORTANT Read This 4 2 BYPASSING THE POWER Q The POWER Q allows flexible options for bypassing all or part of its internal processing For more details please refer to Section 22 A quick bypass can be accomplished simply by turning the unit off which routes the input jack directly to the output However please note two cautions when turning the POWER Q on and or off 1 If you turn the unit off any suppressed feedback may suddenly reappear As a precaution turn down the gain on your power amplifier 2 When you turn the unit on the unit will briefly be in bypass for a few seconds until the processing is engage
27. equipment in your signal path To set up your digital options select 12 DIGITAL I O from the POWER Q MAIN MENU DIGITAL I O INPUT ANALOG SAMPLE RATE 44 1 KHz IL ll Lod iL Il l 253 151 5 63 10125 20 4K 8K 16K d ab db ebibo olo 125 16 31 5 63 1 500 1K 2K The POWER Q will operate with either an analog or digital input source Select the appropriate source using the arrow keys and data wheel NOTE when choosing a digital input the POWER Q s ClipGuard function is automatically disabled so only the output level of the unit will be adjust able when using the controls found in the GLOBAL PARAMETERS screen Sample rate of the POWER Q output is adjustable using the arrow keys and data wheel Select able samples rates include 32 KHz 44 1 KHz 48 KHz or a match to the sample rate of the digital input source Regardless of the input chosen the POWER Q will provide simultaneous digital and analog outputs However please note one important consideration when monitoring the digital output from an analog source change the Clip Adjust setting in the GLOBAL PARAMETERS screen to Manual and adjust the POWER Q gain structure to suit your application see Section 17 for details about setting GLOBAL PARAMETERS Section 22 BYPASS 22 BYPASS Section 22 Bypass Options To access the POWER Q bypass functions please press option 13 BYPASS on the MAIN MENU screen The following screen will appear
28. in nature that is it is more sensitive to sound entering the front of the capsule in the same plane as the long dimension of the microphone as shown below Cardiod mic rd Se Sound Source Fig 23 Cardiod pick up rejects sound Em __ facing mic pattern from rear An omnidirectional microphone is more equally sensitive to frequencies from all directions also measured in the plane of the microphone s long dimension as shown below Fig 24 Omnidirectional pick up pattern Omnidirectional mics reveal no polar rejection of sound A free field microphone is a particular kind of omnidirectional microphone designed to more closely approximate the ideal free field i e free from reflected sound condition of a point specific microphone suspended in midair Free field mics are typically small diaphragm capsules to minimize coloration from sound reflections from the mic itself and are generally pointed upward when used to pick up sound in the plane perpendicular to the plane of the length of the microphone as shown below Mg Sen Fig 25 Free field pick up pattern Free Field Reference Mic in Vertical Orientation This orientation is more likely to produce accurate frequency response measurement in the same direc tional orientation as the ears of the listener i e parallel to the floor and perpendicular to the apparent direction of the microphone s pointing In most circumstances a free field microphone is the best
29. l l iL l 20 25 40 50 80100 160200 315400 630800 1 251 i 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 25315 5 6 4K I 6 3 10125 20 2K 8K 16K Section 3 Block Diagram Internal Signal Path i CLIP GUARD BACKGROUND com LM Fig 4 POWER Q Internal Signal EXP Path T NGATE ROOM A s HP LP ue lI FBX FLAT 3 DELAY Ho INPUT EQ EQ OUTPUT REF E RTA WHITE _ NOISE m venp EC poy ROOM eny __ OUTPUT INPUT P ad mr EQ La EXP NGATE CONP rum CLIP gt GUARD 1 Section 4 Installation 4 Installation Section 4 Installation 4 1 WHERE TO INSTALL YOUR POWER Q IN THE SOUND SYSTEM The most common placement of the tp POWER Q is between the output of a mixing console and the input to a power amplifier If your system requires a crossover or additional delays such as the Sabine DQX 206 put the POWER Q HANDS ON in line after the mixer but before those units The configuration looks like this pa NMINIMMNNNINNNNIS E HES gt Pia Be Mosteommon DIPL m ai13Ii2 T4413 POWER Q Crossover FEED qu or Delay b
30. long enough for the POWER Q to detect the signal and establish an operating level This will typically take only a few sec onds then you can turn the audio signal The input signal will be muted once the Automatic Room EQ analysis begins If there is no signal in channel A or B either your connections to the POWER Q are bad the POWER Q may be in bypass BPASS will flash in the upper right of your screen Turn it off in the GLOBAL PARAMETERS menu or you are not providing an audio source to the POWER Q Check your connections play your CD and press ENTER Section 9 Auto Room EQ 9 Auto Room EQ When the POWER Q detects an audio signal at its input s page 4 of the Automatic Room EQ menu will indicate that the POWER Q is testing the reference microphone for the presence of signal a 1 KHz tone and calibrating the POWER Q to the reference level heard by the microphone Automatic Setup Pg4 Fig 29 Automatic Room EQ page 4 Checking the reference mic sbo 12516 25 ahel i ds 10126 db 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K If a weak signal or no signal is detected at the reference microphone input the POWER Q will prompt you with Page 5 Automatic Setup Pg 5 THEREISINSUFFICIENTLEVEL IN REFERENCE CHANNEL Fig 30 Automatic Room EQ page 5 Is there a pad on the mic Is your power amp loud enough Press CANCEL to exit 20 I i i l 0 il iL ll I d 20 25 40 50 80 100 160 200 315400 630 800 1 251 6 2 5 3
31. of soft key options under FBX and Parametric Filters MAIN MENU option 3 Press the MORE button to access all the available options of this menu Selected Filter Selected Filter Selected Filter Selected Filter Selected Filter Width ranges from Depth ranges from Number Type Frequency 01 to 9 99 octaves 12 to 84 dB Type Frequency Width Depth GOTO Main Menu PARAM 350 0 20 01 Toggles between CURVE view and LIST view TURB TURB turns on TURBO setup mode TURB turns it off foul i ET Li 1 1 Toggles between channels A 630 800 1351 s 2k ahs 5 63 10 12 500 1K 2K 4K 8K af E and B Click and drag crosshair cursor to edit parametric filters The MAIN soft key returns you to the MAIN MENU The CURVE LIST button toggles between the LIST mode a tabular listing of filters and control parameters and a graphical representation of a frequency response curve CURVE mode showing the total curve for either channel of the POWER Q as it is affected by all of the EQ adjustments you have made including graphic parametric FBX and high and low pass filters Both the Curve and List displays are available for either the A or B channel selectable with the fourth soft key button Section 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQs 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQs Fig 39 Filter menu control HANDS ON ry Fig 40 Curve Mode 11 4 FILTER CONTROL MENU LIST MODE AND CURVE MODE Width Depth
32. on power supply cords Periodically check cords for cuts or signs of stress espe cially at the plug and the point where the cord exits the unit 11 The power supply cord should be unplugged when the unit is to be unused for long periods of time 12 Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the unit through the ventilation holes or any other openings 13 This unit should be checked by a qualified service technician if A The power supply cord or plug has been damaged B Anything has fallen or been spilled into the unit C The unit does not operate correctly D The unit has been dropped or the enclosure damaged 14 The user should not attempt to service this equipment All service work should be done by a qualified service technician OSHA 2201 1995 revised CAUTION EXPOSURE TO EXTREMELY HIGH NOISE LEVELS MAY CAUSE A PERMANENT HEARING LOSS INDIVIDUALS VARY CONSIDERABLY IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO NOISE INDUCED HEAR ING LOSS BUT NEARLY EVERYONE WILL LOSE SOME HEARING IF EXPOSED TO SUFFI CIENTLY INTENSE NOISE FOR A SUFFICIENT TIME THE U S GOVERNMENT S OCCUPA TIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION OSHA HAS SPECIFIED THE FOLLOWING PERMISSIBLE NOISELEVEL EXPOSURES DURATION DAY IN HOURS SOUNDLEVEL IN dBA SLOW RESPONSE 90 92 95 97 100 102 105 110 115 NWORDOO 1 2 ie 1 4 orless ACCORDING TO OSHA ANY EXPOSURE IN EXCESS OF THE ABOVE PERMISSIBLE LIMITS COULD RESULT
33. parameters will be common to both ATTACK sets the length of time the program output level takes to return to unity gain when the input level threshold is crossed It is adjustable from 1 to 99 milliseconds with 1 millisecond resolution RELEASE sets the speed of the expansion onset and is adjustable from 50 milliseconds to 5 seconds The expander gate functions are separately adjustable for channels A and B When expansion or gating is engaged i e when the threshold is crossed for a low KNEE value or above the threshold for softer KNEE settings the red LED GATE on the POWER Q front panel will illuminate Section 18 Stored Configurations 16 Stored Configurations Section 16 Saving amp Loading Stored Configurations HANDS ON by Fig 53 Stored configu 2 Prog2 ralions screen HANDS ON by 16 1 RECALL AND STORAGE OPTIONS AND USE The POWER Q allows up to 99 memory locations for storing parameter settings you ve determined for a particular application acoustic venue or performer These settings may be recalled later saving you much time and effort The POWER Q memory options are very flexible and powerful allowing a variety of choices of how you store your settings You may elect to save or load every POWER Q parameter program EQ FBX parametric EQ compression limiting noise gate and delay the program EQ only or all parameters except the program EQ 16 2 SAVING EQ SET
34. peaks are rather narrow at least compared to the filters in a graphic EQ which are based on 1 3 octave CENTERS but actually are much wider than 1 3 octave most often an octave wide A graphic EQ s fixed point octave wide filters are too inexact and too global to carve out feedback without taking out a big chunk of music in the same slice was introduced to the Sabine line of feedback eliminators a few years ago when was working on Ann Margret s stage show with my friend John Reed He had found that the FBX 900 afforded him a good deal more gain before feedback on Ann Margret s mic than what he had been able to attain manually in the past And since she s a quiet singer this was an important breakthrough Since then Sabine has continued to improve their whole line of FBX products and with the introduction of the Sabine ADF Adaptive Digital Filter Workstations the process of feedback control and gain maximization has become a great deal easier more accurate and more effective Here s a step by step guide that l ve developed for using the ADF units to help get the best mix possible full of clarity and free from feedback First the ADF needs to have its system parameters set correctly On the global parameters page set Threshold to a high number so that the unit is more sensitive to feedback because it requires less harmonic content Then set Persistence to a low number so that less time is needed for the unit to de
35. power of your amplifiers or the size of your speakers but the threshold of feedback Enter the Sabine FBX In the pre FBX dark ages feedback was often controlled by passing a mix through a graphic equalizer and pulling out frequencies as close as possible to the ringing feed back While this technique can reduce feedback it also reduces the sound quality of the overall mix The one octave wide filters of a third octave equalizer you read that right the filters are usually an octave wide spaced on overlapping third octave centers are far too clumsy and inaccurate to target feedback specifically You don t shoot a mosquito with a shotgun or do brain surgery with hockey gloves Shotguns hockey gloves and graphic equalizers are valuable tools but only in the right applications A graphic EQ is great to shape the overall sound of your mix and that s why we ve loaded your POWER Q with two but when you use it to control feedback by pulling down EQ sliders you re also pulling out a big chunk of audio that is NOT feedback An FBX filter automatically detects feedback within a 1Hz resolution places a tenth octave wide filter on it and pulls down the level only as far as necessary to get rid of the feedback at a given gain level It is far more accurate in identifying and eliminating feedback and far less destructive to your sound than even the best graphic equalizer Plus it finds the feedback automatically in a fraction of a second You d need to
36. room is flat you may want to customize the room equalization to meet your own personal tastes or to match the entertainers performance style You may do this either by making further adjustments with a second graphic equalizer see Section 10 or by inserting up to 12 parametric filters per channel for very precise adjustment see Section 11 These filters can be added in list tabular form or drawn as a response curve using the data wheel Once you have room and system tweaked to your ideal you can save and name up to 99 settings for future quick recall Section 16 7 5 STEP FIVE FBX FILTERS In live sound reinforcement the true limitation for system loudness is not usually the wattage of the amplifiers the headroom of the mixer or the power handling maxi mum of the speakers Before the system clips you will almost certainly encounter feedback And for eliminating feedback there is no better system than the Sabine FBX Feedback Exterminator Once the sound system is properly equalized the narrow filters of the FBX will go a long way towards increasing loudness without feedback Placing the FBX filters in line WITHOUT first using a graphic equalizer to reduce broad resonant room frequencies may produce several narrow FBX filters clustered together closely at a point This means you will quickly exhaust available FBX filters trying to do a job better suited to a wider filter i e a graphic EQ fader you ll reduce the amount of potential incr
37. see Figure 8 on page 15 The specific frequencies that are boosted or cut will depend on the physical layout of the acoustical space and the location of the speakers and your reference listening position The attenuated frequencies will be heard at a lower volume and the reinforced frequencies will be emphasized and are prone to feedback by HANDS ON Unfortunately equalization cannot cure comb filtering However digitally delaying the arrival of some of the sound creating the phase interference pattern can minimize the comb filters You can experiment with the digital delays in the POWER Q while analyzing pink noise as heard at the reference microphone and observe the results Here s a step by step guide to this comb filter minimization procedure Make sure your system is set up correctly and passing audio signal properly Make sure your two speakers pass signal at equal volume NOTE The steps described here will apply to a system with two or more speakers or speaker stacks aimed at the audience Set your reference microphone up at an appropriate listening spot To maximize the potential for comb filtering the microphone should be close to equidistant from the two speakers to hear the sound from the speakers at equal volume From the MAIN MENU select option 4 REAL TIME ANALYZER Select REF at soft key 4 this will display the RTA response of the reference microphone Then press the MORE button 3 time
38. setup or dampen reflective surfaces in your room You may not be able to build a bass trap in a boomy room find enough stage space to set the front of house speaker cabinets far enough in front of the mic line to avoid howling feedback or convince a night club owner to carpet the dance floor Ideally a room with nonparallel non reflective surfaces that is large enough to accommodate a full wave length 30 feet low bass frequency will provide you with fewer reso nance points a more evenly balanced room curve and less feedback This acoustic ideal is seldom found in the real world so you should make the best of the situation with careful speaker and microphone placement To go beyond the limitations inherent in a less than desirable acous tical space you ll have to call in the artillery electronics and equalization to optimize your sound system This is why a device like the POWER Q is worth every cent and then some of its very reasonable price 7 2 STEP TWO TIME ALIGNMENT OF SPEAKERS Compared to light or electronic signals sound travels very slowly Sound traveling across a night club or concert hall or from speakers at the front of the stage to speakers half way to the back of the hall is slow enough to often warrant speaker time alignment with a digital delay The sound emanating from a speaker farther away from the listener is delayed relative to speakers close to the listener The sound traveling to the listeners ears from stage sp
39. speaker are equal See Comb Filter Distortion p 15 You can use the POWER Q to precisely synchronize the speakers along this axis to eliminate the most severe comb filters Comb filters off the equal level axis are much less of a problem since a louder signal is not affected very much by a weaker signal Finally you can experiment with adding 5 to 10 milliseconds delay to both sets of speakers to enhance the Precedence Effect for the audience seated near the performer In the final analysis every setting is a compromise and your ear has to be the final judge Check the sound in several different locations throughout the auditorium and correct the most severe irregularities Application Il Center Cluster with Front Fills Fig 13 below describes a typical application that has a stage with a microphone a center cluster above the stage and front fills in front of the stage There must be thousands of installations throughout the world like this that get by without digital delays But with the POWER Q you can improve the intelligibility and add a new quality without ringing up any significant costs Use the POWER Q in this situation to align the visual image with the acoustic image The program is much more enjoyable when the amplified sound seems to be originating with the performer not the loudspeakers Center cluster Fig 13 Synchronizing center Clusters and front fills Performer T Performer T qM UT oy 4 o Section 8 Di
40. system turn the power amp to zero gain for one channel This will allow you to set FBX Filters for the other channel 3 Set all other controls for your sound system at the settings that will be used for performance Select soft key 43 FBX AND PARAMETRIC FILTERS from the MAIN MENU The POWER Q defaults to seven fixed FBX three dynamic FBX and two parametric filters and has up to 12 total filters available for each channel This means that using parametric filters for room equalization by changing these defaults reduces the number of FBX filters available for feed back control 4 Press the MORE button until you see TURB on the screen Press the adjacent soft key 5 Highlight Automatic Setup with the arrow keys 6 Raise the master gain of your mixer until feedback is just starting then press ENTER on the POWER Q front panel 7 The POWER Q will automatically raise its output gain and set filters until either all available FBX filters are set or until the first dynamic FBX filter is set Then the POWER Q will reduce its output gain to its original level 8 Repeat this procedure for the second channel turning down the power amp for the channel just filtered and turning up the gain for the second channel This is just one scenario for setting FBX filters Please refer to Section 11 for additional details Section 6 Overview _ 6 Overview Section 6 Overview amp Philosophy 5 BACKGROUND
41. the rest of your gear or take a break the POWER Q Automatic Room EQ feature will analyze the room for you and optimize your system EQ to the response curve you specify At the next venue you can do a quick room analysis in less than a minute then you can recall the memory of all your other EQ settings and every other parameter previously set on the POWER Q You ll be done before the guitarist finishes tuning unless he uses a Sabine tuner in which case it might be a tie You can also use the POWER Q for clearer sound by time aligning speaker stacks with our built in digital delay You can delay sound in one set of speakers by as much as 83 2 milliseconds with 20 microsecond resolution to allow sound to reach listeners ears at the same time This im proves the phase consistency of the program greatly enhances intelligibility and synchronizes the perceived sound origination point so the directional cues from your ears match the visual cues from your eyes In conclusion the POWER Q is your friendly rack of goodies conveniently condensed to a 2U box It will automatically align your speakers tune your system to any room automatically detect and eliminate feedback before and DURING performance compress your mix bus and remember your setup for a given artist or application Sorry it doesn t make coffee but with everything the POWER Q does for you you ll have plenty of time to make it yourself Section 7 Five Stens 7 Five Steps S
42. through the POWER Q at concert levels Finally the reference microphone must be located in the position you wish to use as your delay alignment reference When these conditions are met press ENTER The POWER Q will display the following screen Automatic Setup Pg 2 Play program material through at concert level so thattPOWER Q can adjust its Fig 17 Auto Delay Setup page 2 ref level ENTER to go CANCEL to exit l Id LL ll Lg I 800 1 261 6 25315 5 63 101251 20 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Play your audio program and press ENTER The POWER Q will verify that audio program is present at both inputs If there is no audio signal present in one or both channels you will receive the following message Note that there is no reason to align speakers if you are only operating with one channel of the POWER Q and the unit will not allow you to test only one channel when there is no signal present at one of its inputs Automatic Setup Pg 3 There is insufficient level in CH A amp B Check your connections Fig 18 Auto Delay Setup page 3 Press CANCEL to exit Lol 1 251 6 25 3 1K 2K Lg 11 5 63 10125 20 8K l hs 4K 16K Check your connections and signal path and repeat the procedure If the POWER Q detects the presence of a signal at its two inputs it will automatically play a 1 Khz test signal first to calibrate the sensitivity of the reference microphone and second to measure the time the sig
43. 15 i 63 10125 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Note that this INSUFFICIENT LEVEL message refers to the audio detected by the reference microphone NOT the signal present at the channel inputs of the POWER Q Make sure you are using a working microphone plugged into the REF A input on the back of the POWER Q with a correctly wired cable If you are using a reference mic that requires phantom power turn on the phantom power in the GLOBAL PARAMETERS section accessed from the MAIN MENU If all else fails try moving the microphone It s possible your position may not permit the microphone to hear the 1kHz tone due to phase cancellation In rare instances e g extremely loud conditions it s possible that the signal heard at the reference mic input might be too hot which will produce an alternative error message Automatic Setup Pg5 LEVEL IN REFERENCE CHANNEL Fig 31 Automatic Room EQ IS TOO HIGH Alternative page 5 Press CANCEL to Exit l It lil li a iL ld 160 200 315 400 630 800 1 251 6 2 5 3 15 63 10125 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 1 You may need to put a pad on the microphone or at the POWER Q input via Global Parameters Alter natively try placing the microphone a further distance from the speakers Once your reference microphone is plugged in positioned correctly and working the Automatic Room EQ analysis will begin as indicated by page 6 of the menu Automatic Setup Pg6 Fig 32 Auto
44. 3 Ground Lift Switch Differing ground potentials between or among interconnected equipment racks may introduce hum or noise into the sound system The POWER Q ground lift switch isolates the AC ground from the chassis when in the extended position as of this publication MIDI control of the POWER Q is not yet implemented Sections 2 amp 3 Menus amp Diagrams 2 amp 3 Menus amp Diagrams 2 1 MAIN MENU WINDOWS QUICK REFERENCE Fig 3 Main Menu Items MAIN MENU Page 1 of 4 Automatic RoomEQ 2 GraphicEQ 3 FBX and Parametric Filters 4 Real Time Analyzer Copyright 1998 Sabine Inc MORE E 1 iL Ii a ll It l Ll D i Lg i Jl 20 25 40 50 80100 160200 315400 630800 1251 6 253 15 5 63 101251 20 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K MAIN MENU Page 3 of 4 9 felle rlsi id Unt 36 148 10 Remote Control 11 Password 12 Digital I O Copyright 1998 Sabine Inc 2 25 do eb eo 1o 1do2bo s1sabo dosto 1 251 a ais os biis 2 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K MAIN MENU Page 2 of 4 5 Compressor Limiter 6 Expander Noise Gate 7T Digital Delay 8 Stored Configurations Copyright 1998 Sabine Inc MORE PIE i LESE el p 20 zs 40 50 do 10 160 200 315400 630800 1 25 1 6 als shs bd 10126 D 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K MAIN MENU Page 4 of 4 13 BYPASS 14 VASTU dudo do Ie Copyright 1998 Sabine Inc
45. ARD 1 Mail the completed WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD to SABINE INC 13301 HIGHWAY 441 ALACHUA FL 32615 8544 a Keep the PROOF OF PURCHASE In the event warranty service is required during the warranty period you will need this document There will be no identification card issued by Sabine Inc 2 IMPORTANCE OF WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARDS AND NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES OF ADDRESS a Completion and mailing of WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARDS Should notification become necessary for any condition that may require correction the REGISTRATION CARD will help ensure that you are contacted and properly notified b Notice of address changes If you move from the address shown on the WARRANTY REGISTRA TION CARD you should notify Sabine of the change of address so as to facilitate your receipt of any bulletins or other forms of notification which may become necessary in connection with any condition that may require dissemination of information or correction 3 You may contact Sabine directly by telephoning 904 418 2000 4 Please have the Sabine product name and serial number available when communicating with Sabine Customer Service PWR OpGuide v81 pmd 020315 hto Manufactured by Sabine Inc e 13301 Highway 441 Alachua FL 32615 8544 USA Phone 386 418 2000 Fax 386 418 2001 2003 Sabine Inc Sabine com EC DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY CE MARKING We the Manufacturer SABINE INC 13301 NW US HIGHWAY 441 ALACHUA
46. Auto Turbo setup command by pressing the ENTER button At this point the POWER Q automatically takes over gain control As the POWER Q slowly increases its output gain in half dB increments to create feedback a window will appear at the bottom of the screen to show the increase in gain before feedback Auto Turbo Setup stops when the POWER Q has automatically raised gain and set filters until either all the filters or the first dynamic filter have been engaged When Auto Turbo Setup concludes the final level of the POWER Q is returned to its starting point and the total amount of feedback free gain you ve added to your system is displayed 10 Repeat this procedure for the other channel Section 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQS 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQs IMPORTANT Read This Fig 38 Filter options screen When Turbo or Auto Turbo is engaged for either channel A or B the corresponding Clip LED on the front panel of the POWER Q will blink and the soft key will change to indicate Turb Auto Turbo setup will add gain to the POWER Q s output to a maximum of 20 dB or until the first dynamic filter is set If the 20 dB maximum is achieved it s likely that your sound system gain structure should be reconfigured You may need to add more gain at your mixer inputs or outputs or at your power amplifier We recommend using the Auto Turbo Setup to take advantage of all the POWER Q s processing and ease of use But regardless of th
47. DING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE PROVIDED HOWEVER THAT IF THE OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTIES AS HEREINABOVE STATED HAVE BEEN COMPLIED WITH IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARE NOT DISCLAIMED DURING THE APPLICABLE ONE YEAR PERIOD FROM DATE OF PURCHASE OF THIS PRODUCT SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATION ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAM AGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU THESE LIMITED WARRANTIES GIVE YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH MAY VARY FROM STATE TO STATE THESE LIMITED WARRANTIES ARE THE ONLY EXPRESS WARRANTIES ON THIS PROD UCT AND NO OTHER STATEMENT REPRESENTATION WARRANTY OR AGREEMENT BY ANY PERSON SHALL BE VALID OR BINDING UPON SABINE In the event of any modification or disclaimer of express or implied warranties or any limitation of remedies contained herein conflicts with applicable law then such modification disclaimer or limitation as the case may be shall be deemed to be modified to the extent necessary to comply with such law Your remedies for breach of these warranties are limited to those remedies provided herein and Sabine gives this limited warranty only with respect to equipment purchased in the United States of America INSTRUCTIONS WARRANTY REGISTRATION C
48. DYNAMIC FBX filters are used to deal with transient feedback that comes and goes during a program Changes in room acoustics due to temperature or audience size changes changes in gain musicians almost always play louder during a performance than at sound check and changes in mic position e g with a wireless mic often result in new feedback frequencies arising during performance When a new feedback frequency occurs a new DYNAMIC FBX filter is automatically assigned to eliminate the feedback When all of the DYNAMIC filters have been used the filter that was set earliest is reassigned to handle subsequent feedback and so on One trait shared by both the FIXED and DYNAMIC FBX filters is their ability to track feedback We have already said that DYNAMIC FBX filters will set new filters or recycle old filters to eliminate feedback and that FIXED FBX filters are not recycled If however the feedback frequency is detected to be very close to an existing feedback frequency it is presumed that this new feedback is the result of a drift in the resonating frequency of the original feedback Drifting can be the result of changes in air temperature or humidity In this case the closest filter will automatically move slightly to the new frequency to track this feedback You can adjust the tracking values in the GLOBAL PARAMETERS menu If the P A system is moved from the original setup the POWER Q must be retaught where to place filters to elimina
49. ER Q remote please refer to the corresponding instructions for the POWER Q itself Screen Updating and Execution Due to the speed of serial communication it may take a few seconds for your computer display to update any changes you make Note that only the screen update is delayed the actual execution of your commands is much faster and the change in audio program will be audible very quickly Some operating features are specific to the remote software and instructions for operating these unique features follow Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control Fig 62 Remote control BACKGROUND HANDS ON ry Fig 63 Network Chain screen POWER Q SETUP SCREEN The SETUP SCREEN appears when the program is opened and presents the following four options E POWER Q V2 03 File Select iain enu Options Link Option Setup screen Set up Connect Power Qs SABINE Test Drive Off Line Choose this option SPARUIE EY NEU Demonstrates the software when you wish to fy functions without an actual control Power Qs with oin connection to a Power Q the remote software n COMM Port Exit Select COMM Port Quits the program A Permits selection of COMM and returns you to Ports available on your the desktop Connecting Power Qs Please wait system Copyright 1998 Sabine Inc Select COMM Port In order for computer to talk to the Power Q it connects via the standard communicat
50. ESET key gives you the choice of resetting all filters or selected banks These choices are identical to the options for resetting filters in the Graphic EQ window see section 10 2 The LOCK soft key locks and unlocks fixed FBX filters A locked FBX filter will not change or notch any deeper 11 6 PREVENTING FEEDBACK IN THE EVENT OF EQUIPMENT FAILURE If you re concerned about the potential feedback problems that may arise in the very unlikely event of a POWER Q failure during a performance you can relieve your concerns by programming a 10dB boost into the output signal path see Section 17 If power to the unit is interrupted system gain will be reduced by 10aB enough to prevent feedback from occurring Section 12 High Low Pass 12 High Low Pass Section 12 Using The POWER Q High amp Low Pass Filters HANDS ON by The HIGH and LOW PASS FILTER controls are accessed via the Parametric and FBX Filters menu selection option 3 Pressing the down arrow key repeatedly while in the LIST mode or under TYPE in CURVE mode through all 12 filters ultimately shows the HIGH and LOW PASS FILTER menu Type Frequency Roll off High Pass 200 Hz 12 dB oct Watt Fig 42 High and low Low Pass 17 000 Hz 12 dB oct pass filters list mode l 1251 1K iL ll e ab ahs Ld bi 2K 4K 8K Frequency e baw Pass 17 000 Hz Fig 43 High and low pass filters curve mode 20 I
51. INE POWER Q Remote Software 4 20 4 POWER Q Remote Software Guide 22 0 Bypass Options ilily 23 0 Using the ADF A Pro s Guide with Ken Newman sseeeeeeeennnnenn El 24 0 Troubleshooting Tips sesutexeciSgutsstene Wisi atascvt but itle deti aa suci urat vp mtr aaa 25 0 Engineering Specifications csse stet alii Ka Ua uou pag EE RN Ra 25 0 Cautions and Warranty ap acne aere dote Data oca baa raa Operating Guide Version 8 for POWER Q firmware v2 40 Special thanks to Hans Drobilitsch of Hans Drobilitsch Audio GmbH Austria and Andreas Schneider Chief Sound Engineer Austria Center Vienna for their valuable contributions to the design and implementation of the POWER Q 21 0 POWER Q Digital O ONHOTL stats ciun a ncn x au dO natu danda ty 13 3 Using the POWER Q RTA and digital delay settings to minimize comb filters Section 1 Introduction 1 Introduction Section 1 Introduction Al BACKGROUND BACKGROUND HANDS ON ry IMPORTANT Read This Congratulations and welcome to the new digital equalization and signal processing power of the Sabine POWER Q ADF 4000 two whole racks worth of power in a single 2 U unit Patch the POWER Q between the output of your mixer and the input to your crossover or power amp and you re ready to harness the power of an arsenal of digital signal process
52. L DELAYS APPLICATION I Under The Balcony Speakers Fig 12 Overhead view of under balcony application i 22 98 m m Se B0 20 ie E 2R t 25m L 6mseq Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay Fig 12 shows a typical situation where the performer is amplified by a center cluster hanging above the stage Almost everybody in the audience will enjoy good sound except those seated in the shadow of the balcony So we add an under balcony speaker to fill in the shadow Now we have sufficient volume under the balcony but the sound from the two speakers arrives at the listener s ears some 55 to 69 milliseconds apart The two signals along with their echoes result in an unintelligible cacophony We must delay the sound from the under balcony speaker to synchronize the signals Do we set the POWER Q delay to 55 or 69 milliseconds Obviously the geometry will not allow us to exactly synchronize every location under the balcony we have to compromise First consider the program type For spoken word programs you will produce the best intelligibil ity if the signals from the under balcony speakers arrive within 10 msec of the signals from the center cluster Therefore we should set the delay to 65 69 msec You can allow a little more reverberation for programs that are mostly music Next we must eliminate comb filter distortion Find the axis where the levels of the center cluster and under balcony
53. POWER Q compressor limiter menu is accessed from the MAIN MENU by pressing soft key 5 COMPRESSOR LIMITER COMPRESSOR LIMITER OUTPUT UNITY 25 THRESH 19 dBu pk RATIO 3 1 KNEE 1 LIMIT off ATTACK RELEASE 50 0msec 0 50sec I RN tl Li l w 630 800 1 2516 2 5 3 15 i 63 10125 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 1 OUTPUT allows you to vary the signal gain after it has been compressed Without this control the output signal level would fall below the input since the function of the compressor is to restrict the increase in gain of signals louder than a user defined threshold OUTPUT allows you to make up the gain and then some lost by compressing the signal Note that the OUTPUT control operates regardless of the other COMPRESSOR LIMITER settings so it can serve as an output level control for the POWER Q Exercise caution when raising the output level of the POWER Q as this may have consequences for the equipment downstream in the signal chain THRESH sets the threshold at which the compressor begins to affect the signal Any signal below this threshold will pass through the circuit with the gain unaltered i e unity gain assuming the output gain is not changed from UNITY setting RATIO is the compression ratio designated by two numbers separated by a colon The first number represents a potential change in gain at the input stage of the compressor the second number represents the
54. Q cur Type Frequency Width Depth D MEREE 0 20 5 um Diarra SIGNAL LE CLIPGUARD PATENTED MADE IN USA Co Reference Mic Signal Indicator FBX FEEDBACK EXTERMINATOR PARAMETRIC EQ GRAPHIC EQ RTA COMPRESSOR DELAY GATE ENTER Key initiates action Display Window Soft Key Menu Items Soft Key Selectors Power On Off The POWER Q will automatically pass signal through a hard wire bypass when the unit is switched off Online Context Sensitive HELP button When HELP screen is activated HELP will appear in lower right of display window To escape HELP screen press HELP button again Fig 2 POWER Q Back Panel SERIAL REMOTE OPTION RS232 Remote Control Connector DA I O OPTION R3232 FOWER Q Digital Audio I O Connectors Network Connector Connectors XLR 3 for multiple POWER Qs rid MIDI DIGITAL IN THRU OUT OUT IN SABINE SERIAL NETWORK ALACHUA FLORIDA USA RoAPTIVeVAuoS MADE IN USA PATENTED B POWER OUT IN OUT IN POWER INPUT GND 115 VAC 50 60HZ 1A 12W LIFT CAUTION To reds e isk o fre Fa Fi Fanos Batra E 315 A 250V fuse io S sss ATTENTION Utiliser un fusible de Pater D Techange de m me Spe de 315 250V C A REF Channel B Input and Output XLR 3 Channel A Input and Output XLR 3 IEC 320 C14 AC Power Connector Reference Mic Input XLR
55. RIBUTOR FOR EACH COUNTRY Ces clauses de garantie ne sont vaiables qu aux Etats Unis et au Canada Dans tous les autres pays les clauses de garantie et de maintenance sontfixees parle distributeur national et assuree par lui selon la legislation en vigueur Diese Garantie ist nur in den USA and Kanada gultig Alle Export Produkte sind der Garantie und dem Service des Importeurs des jewelligen Landes untervorfen Esta garantia es valida solamente cuando el producto es comprado en E U continentales o en Canada Todos los productos que sean comprados en el extranjero estan sujetos a las garantias y servicio que cada distribuidor autorizado determine y otrezca en los diferentes paises ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY REMEDY SABINE INC SABINE warrants this product to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one 1 year from date of purchase PROVIDED however that this limited warranty is extended onlytothe original retail purchaser andis subjectto the conditions exclusions and limitations hereinafter set forth CONDITIONS EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIMITED WARRANTIES These limited warranties shall be void and of no effect if a The first purchase of the product is for the purpose of resale or b The original retail purchase is not made from an AUTHORIZED SABINE DEALER or C The product has been damaged by accident or unreasonable use neglect improper service or maintenance or other causes not arising out of
56. TERS option on the MAIN MENU see Section 17 The POWER Q excels at the task of room equalization offering both automatic and manual frequency response adjustment In the Automatic Room EQ mode see section 9 a reference microphone with a reasonably flat frequency response is placed at your choice of listening positions in the acoustical environment The POWER Q automatically plays a short burst of pink noise and measures the energy across the audible spectrum as heard at the reference mic The POWER Q then makes automatic adjustments to produce as flat a response as possible at the reference position You can make additional EQ adjustments parametric and or graphic after Automatic Room EQ to tweak your system response by ear The entire Automatic Room EQ process takes less than a minute for both channels of the POWER Q Alternatively you may choose to equalize your system by playing pink noise over the loudspeakers and observing the REAL TIME ANALYSIS of the propagated energy across frequencies as heard by the reference microphone see Section 13 You must then manually adjust the equalization faders of the POWER Q s graphic equalizer section to produce the desired frequency response Note that the POWER Q allows you to see both your equalization faders and the RTA response in the same window which spares you the cumbersome task of scrolling from one window to another while you make adjustments 7 4 STEP FOUR TWEAKING THE EQ Once the
57. TINGS ROOM EQ AND PROGRAM EQ Section 10 1 describes the POWER Q conceptualization of Room EQ and Program EQ Please note that the POWER Q will automati cally store the most recent Room EQ calculated using the Automatic Room EQ analysis see Section 9 2 Only one Room EQ is stored in the POWER Q memory at a time and it can only be changed by performing a new Automatic Room EQ bypassed or reset but cannot be otherwise stored and recalled However up to 99 separate Program EQ settings can be stored and recalled by the user 16 3 USING THE POWER Q STORED CONFIGURATION WINDOW Select option 8 STORED CONFIGU RATIONS from the MAIN MENU soft keys to access these controls STORED CONFIGURATIONS era e LOAD SAVE 1 BlystemDefault All den ease o qu d configuration including system default SAVE appears only when the cursor is 4 Prog p ee P ro g 5 appears only when the cursor is on a named configuration NOT including the diis db system default D 2 LI 16K I 1251 6 25315 5 63 1K 2K 4K 8K There are 100 memory locations for loading and 99 for storing user presets accessible by scroll ing with the up and down arrow keys These are numbered consecutively followed by a memory name user definable and a suffix The suffix CRV indicates that the memory location holds only the program curve PRM indicates that all parameters EXCEPT the graphic EQ curve have been stored and ALL indicates that both th
58. The POWER Q Graphic Equalizer g BACKGROUND 10 1 GRAPHIC EQUALIZER APPLICATIONS Automatic Room EQ or an RTA analysis will produce a room EQ curve that may best be regarded as a starting point or baseline for further fine tuning with the second level of POWER Q graphic EQ controls which are user adjustable Experienced graphic equalizer users employ a variety of methods to arrive at their preferred sound and the POWER Q allows your personal touch in determining the way your system sounds A graphic equalizer is an engineer s most common choice for compensating for less than ideal acoustical reproduction The quality of equipment used the placement of speakers and the acoustical properties of a room will rarely result in tonally balanced sound reproduction Even the best sound equipment will not produce sound to its optimal potential in most acoustical environ ments for example reflective parallel room surfaces wall to wall floor to ceiling will create standing waves and acoustic resonances that will vary as a function of room dimensions A multiband graphic equalizer can compensate for unequal acoustical energy across the frequency bands of the audio spectrum The POWER Q graphic EQ provides you with a choice of measure ment and calibration aids to perform automatic equalization or it will allow you to rely on your own experience and hearing acuity to equalize an acoustical space You can even combine methods In
59. The two channel POWER Q gives you two full racks of gear all in one 5 LIP Type Frequency Width Depth POO EERG 020 5 FBX FEEDBACK EXTERMINATOR PARAMETRIC EQ GRAPHIC EQ RTA COMPRESSOR DELAY GATE Automatic Room Flattening EQ Automatic Room Flattening EQ Program Shaping EQ Program Shaping EQ FBX Feedback Exterminator FBX Feedback Exterminator i i Parametric EQ d Parametric EQ i Real Time Analyzer Real Time Analyzer Downward Expander Gate B Downward Expander Gate l n Digital Delay E Digital Delay i z Program Memory E Program Memory E SABINE 2eagP rive pay pp Table of Contents I 2 0 E 3 0 Fy 40 Hy 5 0 6 0 IBI 7 0 8 o 9 0 Hy POWER Q operating information E Background information Inii ere B o i18 PRIOR TETTE 4 Front and Back Panel Views and Controls 0 ccccccccecsseeeceeeeceeeeeceeeuueeeeeseeaeaaeeeeeeeas 5 2 1 Main Menu windows quick reference Block Diagram Internal Signal Path ccccccsssceceeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeseneeeeeaaeeeeeeeeessaeeeeenes 6 Malan N so rti E II UM IU EE 7 4 1 Where to install your POWER Q in the sound system 4 2 Bypassing the POWER Q Quick Start up Reference esssssssssssssssssssee eene then nennen nens 9 5 1 EQing an acoustic environment Quick Instructions 5 2 Exterminating feedback Quick instructions Overview and Philosophy
60. aced in the optimal reference position Most acoustical environments exhibit some degree of unwanted sound artifacts e g air conditioner rumble running fans The POWER Q measures this energy and calculates a temporary noise curve 2 Room Analysis Second the POWER Q measures the energy of pink noise played through the sound system at the reference microphone The POWER Q will automatically boost or cut frequencies to achieve as flat a room response as possible when the tones are played through the sound system and heard at the reference microphone This flat room response is abbreviated EQ RM and is meant to serve as a consistent starting point for further adjustments Note that the frequencies heard and analyzed when the pink noise is played discount the noise curve and represent only the interaction of audio played through the sound system and impacted by the specific acoustics of the auditorium Note that the accuracy of measuring and compensating for ambient noise will improve when both noise level and noise frequency are relatively constant For best results minimize or eliminate any ambient noise sources when possible 9 3 REFERENCE MICROPHONE CHOICE Microphone placement the type of microphone you use and the acoustics of the environment are important considerations for performing an acoustic analysis such as the POWER Q s Automatic Room EQ This is potentially quite a complex subject and a complete discussion is beyond the scop
61. al screen and need not be selected to use the remote software 2 Double click on the ADF icon Select the proper COMM port and then select CONNECT POWER Gs 3 All the POWER Qs in the chain will be automatically connected to your computer Each unit in the chain is represented by an icon at the top of the screen The RTA EQ screen of the first POWER Qin the chain is the default screen displayed and ready for programming units Select the icon of the POWER Q you wish to monitor and edit 4 Select Main Menu from the tool bar at the top of the screen for a list of all the features available via remote control You can also use the feature icons or the Function keys to select various POWER Q features 5 You may regain front panel control of any POWER Q in the system by entering the password with the data wheel and arrow keys The remote software disconnects all units in the chain whenever front panel control is regained on any unit 20 4 POWER Q REMOTE SOFTWARE GUIDE Once all the POWER Qs you wish to control from your computer are connected properly and you ve loaded the POWER Q Remote software you are now ready to begin operation of the POWER Q remote Operating the remote software is very similar to operating the POWER Q itself the control screens are all identical in function and differ only slightly in form as the remote software allows multiple pages to be displayed together For details on operating the various functions of the POW
62. alues above or below zero increments or decrements all digits to the left of the cursor correspondingly For example moving the cursor to the far right digit of password 10000 and rotating the data wheel one click counterclockwise will change the password to 9999 Once you have created the password you want press ENTER and the POWER Q will remember your password and return to MAIN MENU You may then proceed with normal POWER Q opera tion When the POWER Q is switched off and turned back on the following window will appear Security Password Enter Password off Press ENTER to confirm db ds ao 5 0100 roto sido ssosto deve 25816 es 10125 20 31 6 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K To enter your password turn the data wheel clockwise The five digit code 10000 will appear and you must enter your password using the left right arrow keys and data wheel When you have scrolled to the correct password hit ENTER The POWER Q will display the main menu Until the correct password is given the POWER Q front panel buttons will remain inoperative with the exception of the HELP button The POWER Q will continue to operate and process audio using the parameters that were programmed in when the POWER Q was turned off You will be unable to change any of the settings until you enter the correct password If you forget your password you may always gain access to the POWER Q controls by entering the secret user back door pass
63. ameters when you originally created the memory Otherwise your load options will be limited to the parameters you saved Hit ENTER to load your selection Note that loading new parameters with or without the Program Curve will briefly mute audio that is playing through the POWER Q when LOAD is executed This will prevent popping if digital delay settings change with the loading LOAD OPTIONS Fig 55 Load options AllParamIncluding Prog Curve screen Program Curve Only AllParamExceptProg Curve SelectandpressENTERorpressCANCEL ab ds 40 50 th 100 140200 315 400 PT 1251 31 6 63 125 250 500 1K 253 151 5 da bids E 4K 8K 16K el Any memory except the system default may be cleared by pressing the CLEAR soft key There is a built in fail safe option to make sure you want to clear your memory The left margin of the STORED CONFIGURATIONS window will indicate the most recent memory loaded and saved Hatia Note that when the POWER Qis turned off or if the electrical service is interrupted the unit will return to all its most recent settings upon power up Section 17 Global Parameters 17 Global Parameters Section 17 Global Parameters Configuring Internal Default Values HANDS ON ry Choose option 9 Global Parameters from the Main Menu to adjust the following GLOBAL PARAMETERS Pg 1 of 2 SCREEN CONTRAST MANUAL OUTPUT LEV ADJ UNITY cee a Fig 56 Global oe EQ
64. ametric filters Filter depth user controllable in 1dB steps from 12 dB to 84 dB parametric mode 3 dB steps from 0 dB to 80 dB FBX mode max automatic depth adjustable from 6 to 80dB Filter width user controllable from 9 99 octave to 01 octave parametric 1 0 to 01 octave FBX High pass filter user controllable in 1 Hz steps between 20Hz and 3KHz 12 dB octave roll off Low pass filter user controllable in 1 Hz steps between 1 KHz and 20 KHz 12 dB octave roll off Resolution 1 Hz from 20 Hz to 20 KHz in FBX and parametric mode Time required to find and eliminate feedback user controllable from 0 2 seconds to 1 second typically 0 3 seconds Total number of combined filters active per channel user selectable 0 12 plus low and high pass shelving filters Filters controllable via table or graphic interface Graphic Equalizer 31 digital filters on ISO center frequencies width selectable from 5 to 1 octave in 01 octave increments 12 to 15 dB boost amp cut Independent display and control or A amp B channels LINK or COPY Real Time Analyzer 31 band 20 Hz 20 KHz on ISO center frequencies A B C or flat weighting Fast slow peak hold Source selectable reference mic channels A or B input or output Reference mic input ISO phantom power 48VDC 10mA 6 8K Ohm impedance Compressor Limiter Threshold 32dBu to 30dBu in 0 5dB steps Ratio 1 1 1 4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 16 32
65. an produce an audible pop or click and tends to be more of a problem as audio signals sustain and decay For audio with a slower attack such as bowed string instruments the gate may also abruptly open in mid note For human speech a gate may cut off the beginnings of consonant sounds For this reason you must exercise care in the setting of the gate s threshold knee attack and release parameters If you are using the POWER Q as an insert point of a mixer channel the settings may be less critical than for using the POWER Q between a mixer and an amplifier where you run the risk of abruptly turning off low level portions of your mix via poor gate settings 15 2 POWER Q EXPANDER NOISE GATE ADJUSTMENTS The POWER Q expander gate is accessed by pressing soft key 6 from the MAIN MENU EXPANDER NOISE GATE The window looks like this NOISE GATE DOWNWARD EXPANDER THRESH Illi dBu peak 1 1 Fig 51 Noise gate downward expander off dBupeak screen 50 msec 0 50 sec ETAT T EMT bes 10128 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Many of the EXPANDER NOISE GATE parameters are essentially identical to COMPRESSOR LIMITER adjustments only they act in reverse fashion THRESH sets the level at which the expander turns on and off It is adjustable from 90 dBu off to 20 dBu peak RATIO is the expansion ratio The first number represents a change in gain at the input stage of the expander the second number represents the corresponding
66. aneous P amp H 0 where there is effectively no peak and hold to 1 second P amp H 1 to 4 seconds P amp H 4 to infinity P amp H which will display and hold the highest peak until it is reset Peaks will show in addition to the RTA display The second soft key chooses the weighting for the RTA response none WT NO A weighting WT A B weighting WT B and C weighting WT C In normalized mode the RTA display is scaled so that the highest peak is at the same level as the input level The third soft key opens the noise generation option menu see description on page 39 The fourth soft key CURVE shows on the screen the EQ response curve of the sum of all the graphic parametric HPF LPF and FBX filters placed in the signal path This can be displayed for channel A CU A channel B CU B or both CU A amp B Press MORE again to see the following screen These keys only appear when you select i pink or white noise in the noise generation options window They allow you to adjust the noise level up or down Displays noise level Opens the noise generation options window Choose pink or white noise for the output of channels A and or B FAST SLOW Adjusts the response time of the RTA from FAST to SLOW NOIS and NOIS 4 are phantom soft keys that only appear when you select an option in the noise generation options window Pressing NOIS f increases noise l
67. ar Mixer Power Amps Speakers A variation of this setup might involve using the POWER Q as a dual mono unit Patch the main output of your mixer into Channel A of the POWER Q and the monitor output into Channel B Then plug Channel A POWER Q output into your main power amp and Channel B POWER Q output into your monitor power amp This will allow use of the POWER Q as if it were two sepa rate mono units The configuration looks like this FOH Speakers Mains El NJISJEISJESJISJISJES TES TIS JS IZ JI Main Out to Power Amn 4 000000000000 P a y gt d Fig 6 Using the 0000000000200 PUNER ERA POWER Q as a dual 9 9 08 0 9 9 9 Cr QD gt a mono unit Ot at tes UCM ED Monitor Out to lt K gt rae POWER l TILIL FTATTT POWER Q Ch B Q Monitor Mixer Power Amp Monitor Speakers The POWER Q may also be used at a mixer insert point either for a single input channel or for a group or bus insert point This will dedicate all of the features of the POWER Q to a pair of single channel inputs on your mixer or to a subgroup of inputs for example all the drums in your mix The patching will look like this POWER Q Fig 7 Using the Insert In Out POWER Q at a mixer v insert point Tees T 9 gie o
68. b see Figs 8 amp 9 There are a number of common situations that cause comb filters For example when the program is played through two loud speakers the loudspeaker that is farther away interferes with the closer loudspeaker Comb filters are also created when a performer is picked up by two microphones one closer than the other You even introduce comb filters by mixing digital effects back into the dry signal at the mixer s effects loop AUDIO PRECISION FREQUENCY RESPONSE AMPL dBV vs FREQ Hz 11 APR 97 11 27 45 10 000 9 0000 Ap 8 0000 7 0000 6 0000 Fig 8 COMB FILTERS Input eH 4 0000 signal mixed with a 2 msec bos delayed signal Both signals 2 0000 have the same amplitude 1 000 Max filter gain is 6dB and o max depth is co oe 2 000 3 000 4 000 5 000 6 000 7 000 8 000 9 000 10 00 0 0 1 00k 2 00k 3 00k 4 00k 5 00k 6 00k 7 00k 8 00k 9 00k 10 0k Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay AUDIO PRECISION FREQUENCY RESPONSE AMPL GBV vs FREQ Hz 15 APR 97 16 59 30 10 000 9 0000 8 0000 7 0000 6 0000 Fig 9 COMB FILTERS Input Mese signal mixed with a 2 msec 4 0000 delayed signal Delayed 3 0000 tude Max filter gain is 2 5 B and max depth is 3 Reducing the amplitude of the Hr i
69. bits in a word the greater the dynamic range The POWER Q offers 24 bit resolution and a dynamic range spec of gt 110 dB with ClipGuard Plus our ClipGuard Adaptive Clip Level Control system is designed to make it all but impossible for our units to clip digitally so if you re hearing distortion in your system it s not likely coming from your POWER Q because we ve taken steps to prevent that Note Make sure the FBX TURBO setup mode is off before your program begins see section 11 2 Likewise the compressor limiter built into the POWER Q will raise the average gain level of your mix while protecting your speakers from hot shot sound engineers whose goal in life is to explore the extremes of speaker cone flexion All of these functions are designed to maximize your gain without distortion Maximizing gain would be a far simpler matter if it weren t for the problem created by adding gain to a microphone in the presence of a speaker which in turn reproduces the mic s sound with the mic in turn amplifying its own input and so on At some point at least one frequency will regener ate This is techno speak for that dreadful ringing sound commonly known as feedback The nature and severity of the feedback will depend on the sound system and the acoustical environ ment but feedback generally will occur before you reach the limits of your potential amplification This means that the most likely volume limitation of your sound system is not the
70. choice for room analysis However in some instances a cardioid mic may serve better For example in a small room the direct sound field will be much smaller in comparison to the reverberant field and a cardioid ref mic aimed away from a close reflective wall will minimize phase cancellation and coloration from reverberant sound The Sabine SQ 1000 is a free field exceptionally flat microphone specially calibrated for use with the Sabine POWER Q and REAL Q2 It is available from authorized Sabine dealers Section 9 Auto Room EQ 9 Auto Room EQ BACKGROUND HANDS ON ry 9 4 REFERENCE MIC PLACEMENT t is an unfortunate reality of room acoustics that acoustic analysis may vary quite a bit with differing reference microphone positions depending on the size shape and surface reflections of the environment For example in very small rooms or in the reverberant field of larger spaces the number of paths for sound reflection may produce less than optimal results due to the phase interference patterns created by direct and reflected sound arriving at the reference microphone at differ ent times There are several rules of thumb you may follow to achieve the best most accurate results of room analysis Position your reference mic where you think the audience will tend to congregate most thus insuring the best sound for the largest number of people Keep the mic away from reflective surfaces e g
71. ck control filters the frequencies and depths necessary to control feedback in your system BACKGROUND The POWER Q uses a sophisticated algorithm patented to monitor the input signal and detect the onset of feedback The FBX algorithm is fast accurate and unique in its ability to distinguish feedback even when audio signal is present When feedback occurs the algorithm makes a precise determination of the feedback frequency and sets a filter of prescribed width typically 0 10 octave but this can be modified in the GLOBAL PARAMETERS menu at that frequency Initially the filter is only 3 dB deep which is often sufficient to eliminate the feedback If the same feedback frequency persists the filter is deepened progressively to a maximum depth which is also user selectable or until the feedback is eliminated FIXED FBX filters are used to eliminate feedback due to characteristics which are unlikely to change such as room acoustics and fixed microphone installations Once a FIXED filter is set its center frequency remains fixed but it may be deepened automatically if necessary to control additional feedback at the same frequency The POWER Q gives you the option of locking the fixed filters so they won t go deeper than the original setting This feature is especially useful in unattended PA systems The third soft key button LOCK locks and unlocks the fixed FBX filters The FBX F fixed filters change to FBX L when locked
72. corresponding change that will be allowed at the output of the compressor In other words a 3 1 compression ratio means that the output signal level in dB will rise 1 3 as much as the gain change at the input level for signal levels that rise above the threshold A compression ratio of 1 is effectively a limiter no matter how much louder the input rises above the threshold the output level remains unchanged Section 14 Compressor Limiter 14 Compressor Limiter KNEE refers to a changing compression ratio as the compression threshold is approached and exceeded Most compressors allow a choice of either hard knee which applies the full compres sion ratio dynamics control to the signal immediately as the input level crosses the threshold or soft knee which varies the slope of the compression as the threshold is approached and crossed Soft knee smooths the onset of the compression The POWER Q allows a variable user adjustable knee The degree of softness is adjusted with the data wheel and is variable from 1 to 40dB This value refers to the range in dB of the input signal with the threshold as the midpoint over which the slope of the compression will vary Compressor Hard Knee Compressor Soft Knee Fig 50 Compressor hard knee left and soft Input Input knee right Level Level Threshold Threshold Output Output Level Level The lowest knee value 1 represents instant full compression wh
73. crease in amplitude by 6 dB while the out of phase frequencies cancel completely to dB Comb filters cause a lot of problems The frequencies that are reinforced are prone to excite feedback while the out of phase cancellations make the program sound thin and over equalized Try this simple experiment to hear what comb filters do to your sound Fig 11 Comb filters notice comb filter ably affect your sound Glean sound sound Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay Stack two identical full range loudspeakers as shown in Fig 12 Carefully align the HF horns and wire the speakers in mono Stand in front while listening to your favorite full spectrum CD Aska friend to move the top speaker slowly away from you The degradation in sound quality you hear is caused by comb filters The experiment is most dramatic when you use good quality speakers Correcting Comb Filters Comb filters are inevitable to some degree in every live sound system and they cannot be corrected with equalization Fortunately most comb filter problems can be reduced to a minimum by synchronizing the signals and reducing the amplitude of the delayed signal The examples below show several practical applications The Precedence Effect Aligning the Acoustic Image Helmut Haas published a study in 1951 describing a s
74. ction 9 many engineers prefer to perform a REAL TIME ANALYSIS of a sound system and make equalization adjustments based on the results You may elect to do this in lieu of or in conjunction with Automatic Room EQ RTA analysis involves generating noise usually pink noise through a sound system and observ ing the energy across frequency bands as heard by a reference mic positioned in the acoustical environment Adjustments are made to an equalizer until the response curve of the system as heard by the reference mic matches the specifications of the operator The RTA feature of the POWER Q offers a no compromise filter based RTA that will equal or surpass the performance of other brands and models on the market that cost as much or more yet offer none of the POWER Q s other features 13 2 POWER Q RTA ADJUSTMENTS An RTA analysis will require the POWER Q s built in noise generator pink or white and a reasonably flat response microphone we recommend the Sabine SQ 1000 plugged into the REF A jack on the back of the POWER Q You may select the REAL TIME ANALYZER option by pressing the 4 soft key in the main menu The screen will look like this Go To Main Menu Graphic EQ Sliders 60 30 15dB Allows you to adjust the vertical scale to 60 30 or 15dB Opens the noise generation options window Choose pink or white noise for the output of channels A and or B IN A OUT A IN B OUT B REF IN A displays the respo
75. curve display When hardware bypass is engaged the Bypass Off button will appear to the right of the top tool bar Click on this button to remove Bypass Curve view selections channel Choose among No Curve displayed or the total EQ curve for channel A channel B or both channels The curve will be displayed with the proper channel color scheme at the top of the graphic EQ screen Curve view selections EQ type This will control the EQ contributing to the total EQ curve displayed at the top of the graphic EQ screen Choose among Program EQ Room EQ or both Note that the display of the curve will NOT affect the EQ active in the box unlike Bypass which will affect the audio signal and that the EQ curve displayed also reflects high and low pass filters parametric filters and FBX filters which cannot be removed from the display curve without resetting RTA controls You may select which audio signal the RTA is displaying In A Out A In B Out B Ref A or Ref B RTA decay speed slow or fast Peak Hold time in seconds 0 1 4 or and RTA weighting None A B or C Noise generator The noise generator turns on pink or white noise in either or both channels of the selected POWER Q only You may generate noise from more than one POWER Q simultaneously however multiple noise sources may confuse a reference microphone that can hear sound from more than one POWER Q Master Noise Off The master noise off button
76. d Suppressed feedback may occur during these few seconds As a precaution keep your mixer and or power amp turned down until the POWER Q processing engages Section 5 Start Up 5 Start Up Section 5 Quick Start Up Reference system There are two main tasks the POWER Q will perform equalizing the tonal balance of the y If you want to get going in a hurry first make sure your POWER Q is correctly patched into your system and eliminating feedback HANDS ON 5 1 EQing AN ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT QUICK INSTRUCTIONS There are three basic methods of equal izing a sound system with the POWER Q Automatic Room EQ Real Time Analysis or by ear Automatic Room EQ Make sure you have a reference mic positioned correctly and plugged into Ref A on the back of the POWER Q very important for optimal results Select 1 AUTO MATIC ROOM EQ from the MAIN MENU Follow the on screen instructions Your system will be analyzed and the EQ adjustments in the POWER Q will be made in 10 seconds per channel Real Time Analysis Alternatively you may elect to play pink noise through your speak ers and adjust the Graphic EQ to balance the frequency response To do this first make sure you have a reference mic positioned correctly and plugged into Ref A on the back of the POWER Q Then select 4 REAL TIME ANALYSIS from the MAIN MENU press the MORE button and turn on the pink noise independently for Channel A Use the superimpose
77. d Graphic EQ sliders to make additional adjustments Repeat the procedure for Channel B Equalizing By Ear You won t need to plug in a reference mic to EQ your system by ear Select soft key 2 GRAPHIC EQ from the MAIN MENU This will display the graphic EQ screen one channel at a time you may select which channel with a soft key You may adjust individual filters using a combination of left right arrow keys and the data wheel In addition to or instead of the Graphic EQ you may affect system equalization with the POWER Q parametric EQ This is accessed by selecting MAIN MENU option 3 FBX AND PARAMETRIC FILTERS and playing an audio source through your sound system and the POWER Q Twelve filters and a high and low pass filter are available for each channel These filters are accessed using the up down arrow keys and can be set to parametric PARAM using the data wheel The data wheel and left right arrows set the frequencies filter widths and filter depths of all filters Any changes made to the parametric filters will add to the overall EQ of the system including graphic EQ settings 5 2 EXTERMINATING FEEDBACK QUICK INSTRUCTIONS 1 Once your room is equalized to your liking or you may elect not to equalize and proceed directly to feedback control though we don t recommend this set up your microphones and acoustic instruments in the positions where they will be used 2 If you are using your POWER Q in a 2 channel
78. decrease in gain for the output of the expander when the input level falls below the threshold In other words a 1 3 expansion ratio means that the output level of the expander will fall three times as quickly as the input level for signals that fall below the threshold An expansion ratio of 1 is a noise gate signals that fall below the threshold will be turned down completely KNEE refers to the slope of the gain reduction that occurs as the threshold of the expander is approached A value of 1 the hardest knee will simply turn on and off immediately as the threshold is crossed Higher values will soften the knee with an accelerating onset of expansion as the input level approaches the gate threshold This softens the turn on and turn off of the gate A setting of 40 will begin to gently expand the signal 20dB above the threshold and achieve the full expansion ratio 20dB below the threshold Section 15 Noise Gate 15 Noise Gate Expander Hard Knee Expander Soft Knee Fig 52 Expander hard knee left and soft knee right Input Input Level Level Threshold Threshold Output Output Level Level NGATE allows an independent threshold in addition to the threshold setting for expansion to be set for the onset of a noise gate affording simultaneous operation of both gating and expansion THRESH and RATIO values will differ for the gate and the expander the settings of all other
79. defects in material or workmanship or d The serial number affixed to the product is altered defaced or removed or e The power supply grounding pin is removed or otherwise defeated In the eventof a defect in material and or workmanship covered by this limited warranty Sabine will repair the defect in material or workmanship or replace the product at Sabine s option and provided however that in any case all costs of shipping if necessary are paid by you the purchaser THE WARRANTY REGISTRATION CARD SHOULD BE ACCURATELY COMPLETED MAILED TO AND RECEIVED BY SABINE WITHIN FOURTEEN 14 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF YOUR PURCHASE In order to obtain service under these warranties you must a Bring the defective item to any Authorized SABINE DEALER and present therewith the ORIGINAL PROOF OF PURCHASE supplied to you by the AUTHORIZED SABINE DEALER in connection with your purchase from him of this product If the DEALER is unable to provide the necessary warranty service you will be directed to the nearest other SABINE AUTHORIZED DEALER which can provide such service OR b Ship the defective item prepaid to SABINE INC 13301 HIGHWAY 441 ALACHUA FL 32615 8544 including therewith a complete detailed description of the problem together with a legible copy of the original PROOF OF PURCHASE anda complete return address Upon Sabine s receipt of these items Ifthe defectis remedial under the limited warranties and the otherterms and condition
80. drink A LOT of coffee to react that quickly Section 6 Overview 6 Overview The POWER Q provides up to 12 feedback filters per channel thus allowing you to excel in your quest for loudness without compromising your second equally important goal QUEST FOR CLARITY 6 2 QUEST FOR CLARITY Clarity in the sound coming out of your speakers is a result of a myriad of considerations the quality of the components you re using the skill you and others demonstrate in setting up and operating the system and the all important acoustic properties of the room in which you re operating your system Now it s no secret that some architects skipped class the day of the 20 minute lecture on room acoustics which is why so many rock concerts take place in basketball arenas and live sound people sport premature gray hair Standing waves flutter echoes boominess the list of prob lems is as big as a lead singer s ego Our congratulations to those architects who DO pay attention to room acoustics The good news is that in addition to all the graphic parametric and FBX control in your POWER Q you are also the proud possessor of a full blown Real Time Analyzer You can generate pink noise to help determine the frequency response curve of the surrounding acoustic space and compensate for its peaks and valleys with your EQ controls while viewing a graphic display of the results in real time If you d rather use your time to set up mics patch in
81. e curve and parameters have been saved Memory location 1 System Default cannot be saved or cleared only loaded All other memory locations are user definable To SAVE your settings use the up down arrow keys to select a memory location Press the SAVE soft key The POWER Q will display this window SAVE OPTIONS Fig 54 Save options screen AllParamIncluding Prog Curve Program Curve Only AllParamExceptProg Curve SelectandpressENTERorpress CANCEL ll ll Lot Ll l 2025 40 60 80 100 160200 315 400 630 800 1 25 1 6 25 ahal 5 63 dads 20 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Section 16 Stored Configurations 16 Stored Configurations NAME A CONFIGURATION Use the up down arrow keys to select the parameters you wish to save all parameters Program Curve only all parameters except the Program Curve Press the ENTER button to save your selection The POWER Q will automatically return you to the STORED CONFIGURATIONS window with the first character in the name of the new memory highlighted the default name is PROG Use the data wheel and the left right arrow keys to write a new name for the memory location To LOAD a configuration see the screen below use the up down arrow keys to select the desired curve Press the LOAD soft key You will be given a choice of parameters to load all Program Shaping Curve only or all parameters except Program Shaping Curve assuming you saved all the par
82. e method chosen to eliminate feedback the results will be identical increased gain without sacrificing clarity In addition once setup is complete fixed filters are set and the performance begins any new feedback problems such as those caused by a roving wireless mic will be filtered by Sabine s proprietary dynamic FBX filters TURBO mode should be turned off when the POWER Q is in normal operating mode This will usually happen automatically during setup There are five ways to turn off Turbo mode 1 By toggling the soft key to read TURB 2 By hitting the LOCK soft key accessed by pressing the MORE button 3 By setting at least one dynamic FBX filter automatically takes the POWER Q out of TURBO mode TURBO soft key selection disappears 4 By loading any program curve from the POWER Q memory or 5 By turning the POWER Q off and back on If the Turbo mode is somehow left on when the FBX setup procedure is completed or ended prematurely you may experience distorted audio through the POWER Q since the clip level will be turned up fully and easily overloaded by input level This problem is easily remedied by turning Turbo mode off Turbo mode will NOT affect the output level of the POWER Q NOTE The Turb soft key will be ghosted after setup is completed and will remain unavail able until FBX filters are reset for the appropriate channel s 11 3 POWER Q FBX PARAMETRIC FILTER ADJUSTMENTS There are two pages
83. e of this manual Any attempt to equalize an acoustic environment will be subject to compromises and response variations from one location to another Nonetheless it is possible to make adjustments that will improve the system room response for most if not all audience listening areas Ask 20 experts and you re likely to get a variety of opinions and strategies about room equaliza tion suffice it to say that experience and your unique skill as an engineer will play a significant role in your choice of mic type model and placement For a more complete discussion on this subject please refer to John Murray s excellent article Doing the Right Thing in the July August 1997 issue of LIVE SOUND International For those of you who may want a relatively quick summary of what to consider about this topic read on Let s first consider the type of microphone to be used First of all the frequency response of the microphone should be as close to flat as possible within 1 dB from flat across the audible frequency range 20 Hz to 20khz and should exhibit flat response at both loud and quiet sound pressure levels The greater the deviation from flat response by the microphone the greater the deviation from flat response your system may exhibit when using the mic to set EQ Section 9 Auto Room EQ Most typically either a cardioid an omnidirectional or a free field microphone is used as a reference microphone A cardioid mic is directional
84. eakers takes longer to get there than the sound from the closer speakers because most of the path for the latter is electrical The correction is designed to allow the sound from both sets of speakers to arrive at the listening position at the same time Obvi ously in a situation where there is only a left and right front of house speaker stack time align ment may be less of an issue See Section 8 for a full discussion of these issues The POWER Q allows you to delay each output by up to 83 2 milliseconds The delay time for each channel can be set independently For more details about setting the delay in your POWER Q output refer to section 8 2 For more demanding delay applications involving up to six separate outputs automatic calculation of delay times and air temperature compensation use the Sabine DQX 206 delay equalizer limiter 7 3 STEP THREE SETTING THE SYSTEM AND THE ROOM TO A FLAT RESPONSE CURVE Once the system is in place and the speakers are time aligned you are ready to even out make equal or equal ize the frequency response of the system in the room This typically is done with broad filters such as the octave wide filters of a 31 band graphic equalizer Graphic EQ filters are spaced on Section 7 Five Steps 7 Five Steps third octave centers but are typically an octave wide overlapping across adjacent filter controls You can vary the width of the POWER Q s filters by accessing the GLOBAL PARAME
85. eased loudness and you won t get the maximum benefit of FBX The POWER Q is the most complete system on the market that allows this much control over the steps to maximize clarity and gain in any acoustical environment using any sound system Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay Section 8 Using the POWER Q Digital Delay Hl BACKGROUND 8 1 DIGITAL DELAY APPLICATIONS AND USE This section goes beyond the typical operating guide that only explains the front and back panel adjustments of a piece of equipment Instead we discuss the basic acoustical concepts needed to get the most out of the use of digital delay in sound systems If you are familiar with these principles feel free to skip ahead Some principles may require additional delay channels and options available with the Sabine DQX 206 Why Digital Delays The most intelligible sound occurs when two people speak face to face The sound is loud and dry and the direction of the sound aligns with the speaker The most intelligible sound systems are the ones that come closest to emulating face to face communica tion If this is your goal a digital delay is essential to your sound system There are three distinct applications for digital delays The first and most important is synchroni zation of the loudspeakers to control excess reverberation and echo Second digital delays help control comb filter distortion and finally digital delays are use
86. ect is not as obvious to the audience as eliminat ing feedback but it is nice to know you did all that is possible to make the performance enjoyable Application Ill Synchronizing the signals of a far throw and short throw loudspeaker In order to reach the proper coverage in larger venues we often stack two full range speakers a short throw center cluster for the audience below and a far throw speaker for the back of the auditorium It is almost impossible to perfectly align the stacked speakers mechanically so comb filter distortion becomes a problem in the area where the levels from both speakers are equal The same thing happens with speakers mounted on the right and left sides Sound from B Fig 14 Aligning far and short throw speakers The level from both speakers is equal Comb filters E It is impossible to remove comb filters with equalization but the POWER Q eliminates them in short order without affecting the spectral balance for the rest of the audience Find the axis where the levels from the two speakers are equal This is where the comb filters are most severe Carefully adjust the POWER Q so that the signal from both speakers arrives at precisely the same time The POWER Q provides 20 microsecond resolution for this purpose Use the same procedure to align speakers within a cluster when necessary Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay HANDS ON ry IMPORTANT Read This
87. ection 7 Optimizing The Sound System And The Room With BACKGROUND The POWER Q Five Steps Remember our quest is to amplify sound in a room to a desirable level without creating feedback and distortion or sacrificing clarity To make the most of a sound system in a particular acoustical environment you will need to follow five simple steps 1 Optimize the physical arrangement of your stage setup speaker placement and room acoustics 2 Time align your speaker stacks so that sound traveling from displaced speakers and from sound sources on stage arrives at a designated reference position at the same time and or provides audio cues consistent with visuals 3 Flatten the frequency response of your sound system in the acoustical environment so all frequencies are heard in equal proportion at the reference position 4 Adjust the equalization of the system to your personal preference or the requirements of a particular application or performer the POWER Q will remember these settings and load them from memory 5 Apply FBX filters to live microphones to increase gain before feedback and insure maxi mum clarity volume and microphone mobility The POWER Q is amazingly useful for realizing steps 2 through 5 see sections 8 9 10 11 12 and 13 Here are some suggestions for implementing all five steps 7 1 STEP ONE THE PHYSICAL SPACE Unfortunately the POWER Q cannot physically rearrange your stage
88. eer encompasses over 20 years of working for performers such as Anita Baker Barry Manilow Chris Isaak and many other artists who demand the best Like his clients Ken demands the best from his equipment and his years of experience using Sabine ADF products have helped him earn ecstatic praise from performers and audience alike Barry Manilow calls Ken the finest sound mixer l ve ever worked with Here are Ken s own suggestions for using Sabine ADF equipment Ask concert goers Was the sound good Chances are the average listener will base their response on a couple of factors If the system is free of feedback and the vocals are audible most people regard this as good sound with little or no consideration of the tonal balance or perspective of the mix On the other hand you could have the most happening mix in the world going and if for some reason there are occasional bursts of feedback the distraction and un pleasant nature of the squeals will earn your mix a very negative review Likewise if the audience members can t hear what the singer is saying between songs or understand the lyrics because you can t get enough gain before feedback then your mix will also be considered bad sound For many years used 1 3 octave graphic EQs to control feedback but found this to be a compro mise Feedback is a result of peaks in the frequency response of the microphone the electronics the speaker system and the room acoustics These
89. elects which channel s curve is displayed Type Frequency Width Depth PARAM EN 0 20 01 ld 5 63 10125 8K 630 800 isis s 00 1K 2K 25 ahel M The top line of the Curve mode display shows the filter number 1 through 12 high pass low pass the type of filter that corresponds to that number the frequency of the filter and its width and depth These values will correspond to the settings in LIST mode The filter chosen for this top line can be changed using the up down arrow keys NOTE This is important as all other parameters are adjusted using the data wheel after selecting parameters with the left right arrow keys When the displayed filter is set to PARAM using the data wheel the frequency width and depth of the parametric filter can be changed by using the arrow keys and data wheel For example let s say we want to add a parametric notch at 60 Hz 10dB deep and 0 20 octaves wide While PARAM or FBX L F D is highlighted use the up down keys to select the number of the filter 1 through 12 you wish to use Using the data wheel select PARAM as the type of filter Press the right arrow key to highlight Frequency and turn the data wheel to set 60 You will see the position indicator on the screen move as you change this value If you re adding to an existing EQ curve the position indicator will follow the line of the curve Use the right arrow key to move to Width and set th
90. els This is the greatest benefit for ears since Mike Tyson was banned from boxing Normal FBX setup mode notes Here s is a step by step guide to setting up the FBX function 1 Place the microphones and speakers in the locations where they will be during the program and patch in the POWER Q using one of the setups described on page 8 Set all controls for your sound system at the settings that will be used during the performance with this exception You should set up one channel at a time by turning the other channel all the way down on your mixer or power amp 2 First make sure the main sliders on the mixer are pulled down then power up the sound system the POWER Q and finally the power amp Section 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQS 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQs HANDS ON ry Fig 37 Turbo Warning Screen 3 Select soft key 3 FBX and PARAMETRIC FILTERS from the MAIN MENU and make any adjustments to the default configurations 4 Slowly raise the gain for one channel only As feedback begins to occur the FBX filters will automatically detect the correct feedback frequency and apply a narrow filter to eliminate it Continue raising the gain until all FBX fixed filters are set If you wish to lock the FBX fixed filters to prevent them from notching more deeply press the LOCK soft key at the right of the screen so it reads LOCK 5 Repeat this procedure for the other channel Turbo Setup notes Here is a step by step
91. en the input level crosses the threshold the highest value 40 represents a soft knee compression that will begin to gently compress the input signal 20dB below the threshold and allow the full compression ratio 20dB above for a total soft knee range of 40dB LIMIT sets an absolute output gain level Peak input signals rising above the threshold value set with this parameter will be compressed so extremely as to reflect no additional gain at the output stage Note that the LIMIT threshold and the compressor threshold THRESH can be set independently allowing both a mild degree of compression and brick wall peak limiting All other parameters besides THRESH and RATIO are common for both the compressor and limiter AT TACK sets the speed with which the signal is compressed once the gain exceeds the thresh old ATTACK is generally set to a very quick response and can be varied from 1 to 99 msec RELEASE sets the speed with which the output signal returns to unity gain when the input signal falls below the threshold It can be varied from 50 milliseconds to 5 seconds The compressor window also displays metering of the input signal both channels and the compression added to the signal both channels When compression is engaged the meters will work in opposite directions The compressor limiter functions can be adjusted individually for channels A and B using the selector knob to toggle betwe
92. en them The front panel of the POWER Q has a yellow LED marked LIMIT for each channel that will illuminate when the compressor is engaged when the input threshold is crossed for a knee setting of 1 or 20dB below the threshold for a knee setting of 40 Section 15 Noise Gate 15 Noise Gate Section 15 Using The POWER Q Expander Noise Gate Ell BACKGROUND HANDS ON ry 15 1 EXPANDER NOISE GATE APPLICATIONS AND USE Just as compression is designed to restrict the extremes of the dynamic range of an audio program an expander is designed to increase dy namic range In normal usage the dynamic range is increased by downward expansion i e by turning down quiet signals to a lower level The most common application is to reduce noise in a program as the noise will generally be quieter than the signal Any audio that falls below a gain threshold will be turned down when it is turned down so far as to be turned off the expansion function is known as a gate Since the turned off turned down audio is generally undesirable noise tape hiss component noise guitar amplifier noise leakage from an off mic sound source etc any device that automatically turns off such noise has come to be called a noise gate The major problem when using expanders and gates occurs as the audio crosses the gain threshold engaging the expansion An abrupt change from on to off or vice versa c
93. eries of experiments that demonstrated how people perceive delayed signals and echoes In his experiments a listener was positioned between two speakers placed 3 meters away one was placed 45 degrees to the right and the other was placed 45 degrees to the left When the same program was played through both speakers simultaneously the listener perceived the acoustic image the direction from which the sound seemed to be coming centered between the speakers When Haas delayed the signal going to one of the speakers by somewhere between 5 to 35 milliseconds the listener perceived a shift in the acoustic image to the speaker heard first While the delayed speaker did not contribute to the apparent direction of the sound it did make the program seem louder and fuller Haas showed that you must increase the loudness of the delayed signal by about 8 to 10 dB twice the perceived loudness in order for the acoustic image to move back to the original center position Increasing the loudness more than this or increasing the delay somewhat more than 35 milliseconds makes the delayed signal sound like an echo The phenomenon describing how the acoustic image follows the signal we hear first is called the Precedence Effect The phenomenon that makes two distinct sounds heard less than 35 msec apart seem like only one sound is call the Haas Effect However the terms are often used interchangeably in the sound industry THREE APPLICATIONS FOR DIGITA
94. eters from B to A This option will instantaneously copy all parameters cur rently set for channel B to channel A Any further adjustments made to either channel will be independent until COPY is executed again COPY OPTIONS Fig 58 COPY options screen Copy Parameters fromA toB Copy Parameters from Bto A Select and press ENTER or press CANCEL ET ET yds ils 25 ahs i ds 10128 E 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Canceling the COPY function will allow the POWER Q to operate as an independent two channel dual mono unit Section 18 Password 18 Password Section 18 Password Protection HANDS ON ry To access the PASSWORD controls press 11 PASSWORD from the POWER Q MAIN MENU The following window will appear Security Password Fig 59 Change password screen Change Password MIDI Fig 60 Enter password screen Press ENTER to confirm 2b 5 db d th ilo 14020 sisao PT 1261 s ab ahs i ds bids b 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Security password protection will prevent unauthorized or well intentioned but unsophisticated users from tampering with your POWER Q setup To change your personal security password from its default value off turn the data wheel clock wise one click A five digit number code will appear initially set to 10000 The left right arrow keys will move the cursor to any of the five digits and the data wheel will change the value Note that the changing v
95. evel and pressing NOIS 4 decreases noise level Press MORE again to see this screen These keys allow you to adjust the delay time up or down Delay time setting in milliseconds Opens the noise generation options window Choose pink or white noise for the output of channels A and or B AIB LINK Enables graphic EQ controls in the RTA window for channel A channel B or both linked Selecting A will also enable digital delay adjustments for channel A selecting B enables delay adjustments for channel B Selecting LINK defeats delay adjustments Section 13 RTA 13 RTA DLY t and DLY 4 enable adjustment of the digital delay time for channel A or B Delay is adjusted using soft key 1 to increase delay and soft key 2 to decrease Channels A and B delays can only be set independently of each other 13 3 USING THE POWER Q RTA AND DIGITAL DELAY SETTINGS TO MINIMIZE COMB FILTERS Comb filters arise in any acoustical setting where direct and reflected sounds or two or more speakers playing the same sound source combine in equal or near equal amplitude i e are close to the same volume Slight delays in the arrival of sounds at a particular location in an acoustic environment will cause a phase interference pattern Some frequencies will be attenuated while others will be reinforced producing a frequency response showing many peaks and valleys and also resem bling the teeth of a comb
96. eys to choose a filter s frequency width and depth and the data wheel to vary the parameter The change will be displayed visually and audibly as the parameters are varied Note that the curve displayed is a combination of all filters parametric FBX HPF LPF and graphic in the signal path for the selected channel This is not only a powerful visual aid showing the combined effects of all the EQ and filter changes you ve made but also a handy final tweak stage for your overall EQ Assuming you have at least one unused parametric EQ filter you can add this to your overall EQ curve with click and drag editing which is easily done on the fly in the heat of live mixing If the filter frequency is set to off the width and depth cannot be entered The POWER Q assumes the filter does not exist Unlike many conventional analog parametric filters the POWER Q s digital filters do not drift with temperature or cause phase shifting outside of the filters A fixed or dynamic FBX filter that has been set by the POWER Q can be frozen by moving to the appropriate type field and changing it to PARAM At this point the filter can be left as is or edited further You may also decide to consolidate two or more closely spaced FBX filters into a single slightly wider parrametric filter Then reset your FBX filters and eliminate even more feedback with a second set up See Section 23 A Pro s Guide to Using the ADF Products by Ken Ne
97. ful for aligning the acous tic image so the direction of the sound seems to be coming from the performer rather than from the loudspeaker Loudspeaker Synchronization Sound travels at about 1 130 feet per second in air or about 1 foot per millisecond On the other hand electronic signals travel almost one million times faster through your sound system to the loudspeakers The main task for digital delays is to synchronize multiple loudspeakers so the sound traveling different distances arrives at the listener s ears at about the same time Synchro nizing the loudspeakers reduces reverberation and echoes for improved intelligibility How to Synchronize Your Signals There are several powerful tools available for precisely measuring the time a loudspeaker signal takes to arrive at a certain point in the audience Most of these tools are very sophisticated and tend to be quite expensive Fortunately simpler tools are sufficient for most applications In the 1930 s engineers synchronized the low and high frequency speakers in movie theaters by feeding a sharp click through the system They moved the speakers until they could only hear a single sharp click coming from both speakers You can use this same method with a common child s toy called a clicker Pressing the thin metal strip makes a loud sharp click A clicker is especially useful when synchronizing the direct sound from the performer with the sound from the loudspeakers Alternatively
98. gether CU A amp B These curves represent the combination of ALL graphic parametric FBX and HPF LPF EQ settings in the POWER Q The superimposi tion of the response curve on the slider screen allows you to see the overall EQ resulting from graphic EQ adjustments with the front panel controls The response curve is offset above the flat zero boost or cut center position of the EQ sliders in order to facilitate the display This does not indicate any overall level boost from the POWER Q Note that the Curve Display can be viewed in either the Graphic EQ screen or in the FBX Paramet ric EQ screen see Section 11 3 Curve Display and Bypass The curve displayed combines all the EQ and filtering active in the POWER Q signal path If either the Program EQ or Room EQ is bypassed or if both are bypassed as described in Section 22 the curve display will reflect the bypass Reset The RESET button soft key 42 opens up a screen that will allow global resetting of all filters for both channels or separate resetting of FBX parametric or program EQ or room EQ filters for the A and B channels It is possible to reset all FBX filters or just dynamic FBX filters RESET FILTERS OPTIONS FBX Filters in A FBXFiltersin B ZANLeJ i j PARA FiltersinA PARA FiltersinB Fig 36 Reset filters screen EIS p uen EQPRFiltersinA EQPRFiltersin B ALL OF THE ABOVE HIGH amp LOW PASS Room EQinA RoomEQinB 0 AE LEES E E E T E CU EAE T A Eug 9 o
99. gital Delay 8 Digital Delay Find a central place in the audience where the center cluster is 6 to 8 dB louder than the direct sound from the performer Delay them so that their sound arrives 5 to 8 milliseconds after the direct sound from the performer Experiment by bypassing the POWER Q in and out to hear how the source of the sound seems to move from the loudspeakers to the performer and back Now your ears have the same directional information as your eyes so the performance will sound more natural and exciting The best seats in the house just got better What about the front fills Their purpose is to add intelligibility and listening comfort to the first few rows nearest the stage by filling in the areas missed by the center clusters Add about 8 msec to the front fills to take advantage of the Precedence Effect The 8 msec setting presumes the performer is standing on the front few feet of the stage But some stages are well over 30 feet deep What if there is a second performer standing 25 feet behind the first The direct sound from his or her voice will reach the first few rows about 25 msec after the first performer s The audience will perceive the first performer directly and the second performer through the loudspeakers We can add the advantage of the Precedence Effect to the second performer by placing the POWER Q in the mixer s channel insert point and adding a 25 msec delay Certainly taking advantage of the Precedence Eff
100. guide to using the Turbo function 1 3 Follow steps 1 3 as above 4 5 6 7 Press the Turb soft key to open up the Turbo screen as shown Turbo Warning Screen PUTTING BOX INTURBOMODE DEFEATS ANA CLIPGUARD AND ALLOWS DIGITAL CLIP Do this only at setup Raise your system gain to the verge of first feedback Then highlight the desired choice and hit ENTER or CANCEL to exit Auto turbo setup to wi It It il Lil i i l i 20 25 40 50 80 100 160 200 315 400 630 800 1 25 1 6 25 ahs i 6 3 10128 d 31 5 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Highlight Turbo using the arrow keys Slowly raise the gain for one channel only As feedback begins to occur the FBX filters will automatically detect the correct feedback frequency and apply a narrow filter to eliminate it Continue raising the gain until all FBX fixed filters are set If you wish to lock the FBX fixed filters to prevent them from notching more deeply press the LOCK soft key at the right of the screen so it reads LOCK Repeat this procedure for the other channel Auto Turbo Setup notes With Auto Turbo Setup follow these steps 1 3 Follow steps 1 3 of normal FBX setup 4 5 6 Press the Turb soft key to open up the Turbo screen Highlight Auto Turbo setup using the arrow keys Bringing your system s gain to the point where feedback just begins by turning up your master mixer output then execute the
101. h have very low harmonic content and can be easily mistaken for feedback by the POWER Q Higher values of SENSITIVITY will allow feedback to grow larger in magnitude before it is detected and eliminated too low a value can result in mistaking certain musical tones for feedback Use the DEFAULT setting of 5 for most venues use the value 2 for more classical venues and 4 for spoken word applications Range of values 0 10 Default 5 For ultra fast feedback detection during setup set PERSISTENCE and SENSITIVITY to their lowest values For performance experiment until you find the best setting for your application REF MIC PHANTOM POWER makes 48v available at the reference microphone input for microphones that require phantom power REF MIC 20dB PAD lowers the gain by 20 dB of the reference microphone preamp in the event that the signal coming from the microphone is clipping the input level NOTE DO NOT use a microphone preamp or balanced line transformer with this input This may cause the reference mic board to overheat COPY FUNCTION The third soft key in the Global Parameters screen allows you to select a COPY option with the up down arrow keys and implement it by pressing ENTER You may 1 Copy parameters from A to B This option will instantaneously copy all parameters currently set for channel A to channel B Any further adjustments made to either channel will be independent until COPY is executed again 2 Copy param
102. igher frequencies than 1 KHz will produce greater accuracy but may present other measurement problems for sound systems with roll offs in high end fre quency response In addition in rare instances the reference microphone may confuse direct and reflected sound and err in its distance measurement by up to 5 feet When in doubt run the auto setup several times and compare results Section 9 Auto Room EQ 9 Auto Room EQ Section 9 Using The POWER Q Automatic Room EQ a BACKGROUND IMPORTANT Read This BACKGROUND 9 1 WHAT IS AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ Sabine s unique AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ feature is simply a means of fast automatic equalization calculated by the POWER Q on the basis of measurement of acoustic energy heard at a reference microphone and designed to provide a neutral repeat able starting point for additional program equalization and signal processing The EQ curve calculated is designed to make the response curve heard at the microphone as flat as possible compensating for room acoustics and the frequency response of the sound system components 9 2 HOW AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ WORKS Sabine s Automatic Room Equalization works in two steps 1 Environmental Artifact Removal EAR First the POWER Q s Environmental Artifact Removal function measures the frequency response curve of ambient noise in the room as heard by the reference microphone pl
103. igned to provide reasonable protection against harm ful interference in a residential installation This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interfer ence will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be deter mined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for help This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regu lations of the Canadian Department of Communications Le present appareil numerique n emet pas de bruits radioelectriques depassant les limites applicables aux appareils numeriques de la class B prescrites dans le Reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique edicte par le ministere des Communications du Canada A Warning The POWER Q is designed to operate from standard AC power Please be s
104. infinite Knee 1 hardest to 40 softest Attack 1 0 to 99 msec in 1 msec steps Release 05 to 5 sec in 05 sec steps Expander Noise Gate Threshold 20dBu to 90 0dBu in 0 5dB steps Ratio 1 1 1 4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 16 32 infinite Knee 1 hardest to 40 softest Attack 1 to 99 msec in 1 msec steps Release 05 to 5 sec in 05 sec steps Digital Delay 1 38 83 28 milliseconds channel in 20 microsecond steps Automatic or User Programmable in feet or meters Password Configuration 5 numeric characters Load amp Recall Configurations amp Response Curves 99 user defined 1 factory default 1 most recent configuration power down save Front Panel LCD Display Clip limit signal and gate LEDs for channels A and B clip and signal LEDs for REF MIDI Serial amp Digital LED indicators Four menu soft keys More Help amp Enter keys Data wheel and cursor keys Input Output Input impedance Balanced 10K Ohms PIN 2 high Output impedance Balanced 10 Ohms nominal PIN 2 high Input Output maximum signal levels Balanced 26 dBV peak Max output load 600 Ohms balanced Bypass true power off bypass I O connectors XLR 3 Performance Frequency response 10Hz to 20KHz 0 2dB 9 22dBV SNR gt 105 dB with ClipGuard THD lt 0 01 22 dBV at 1 KHz Dynamic range gt 110 dB with ClipGuard Headroom 22dB peak 4dBV nominal input Power 50 60Hz available in 100V 120V 230V 25W
105. ing Note You can also use the POWER Q in other configurations See Section 4 1 The POWER Q is truly remarkable because of its multi tasking ability and ease of operation It s the latest breakthrough in the Sabine ADF Adaptive Digital Filter Workstation product line and offers many of the features of the Sabine REAL Q2 Real Time Adaptive Equalizer all in one package The POWER Q encompasses the following functions all of which operate concurrently Two separate 2 channel 31 band digital graphic equalizers Up to 12 additional filters per channel configurable as any combination of e fully parametric filters fixed or dynamic automatic feedback control filters with Sabine s patented FBX Automatic Feedback Control technology High and low pass filters for each channel 2 channel fully adjustable compressor limiter Full featured filter based RTA 2 channel digital delay for programmable time alignment of speakers by up to 83 2 mSec 99 memory settings Instant recall of all or selected parameters Automatic Room EQ Calibrate a system in any acoustic space to a flat response curve automatically in just a few seconds ClipGuard Adaptive Clip Level Control This patented Sabine function automatically prevents digital clipping and expands dynamic range to over 110dB Optional remote control via RS 232 interface for Windows computers Optional Digital I O Allows user selectable sample rate and input source You may quickly refer to
106. ions port or COMM PORT of your PC There is no additional hardware to install Simply select which communica tion port your computer should use to communicate with your Power Q The POWER Q Remote Control Program is set to default to COMM PORT 1 Because PC manufacturers assign COMM PORTS differently based on their designs you are presented with four options to accommodate differences among PC manufacturers Should COMM PORT 1 already be in use by another peripheral simply choose among the four COMM PORT options available Network Chain Screen Clicking Connect POWER Qs will prompt the computer to search along its serial network connection for any POWER Qs This will take several seconds especially the first time you connect upon completion the screen below NETWORK CHAIN will be displayed w hebrork Chain Pownr Ci Fiperate found 7 Power fs in the obme order If all of your POWER Qs are properly connected to your computer and there are no communication problems the number of POWER Qs shown on the screen should match the actual number connected If this is the case click on Accept If a different number of POWER Qs is shown on the NETWORK CHAIN screen than are actually being used check your connections and then click Retry Cancel will exit the NETWORK CHAIN screen and return to the SETUP SCREEN Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control Power Q Remote MAIN SCREEN Once yo
107. is to 20 Move to the right one more time to Depth and use the data wheel to set this value to 10 Both the graphic display and the audio program will change in real time to reflect these changes The cursor traces the existing displayed curve until you change the Depth value up or down from zero and the actual curve display and audio will only change when a boost or cut is set It is also possible to preset a boost or cut with frequency set to off and then sweep the boost cut through all the audio frequencies until you find the sound you like This makes for quite an interesting Section 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQS 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQs flanging sound if you use a wide filter while listening to audio through the POWER Q This is a very powerful feature that allows visualization of on the fly fine adjustments of EQ You can refine your system EQ curve with a touch of parametric EQ added to the response curve you re already working with and you can see and hear the results instantly 11 5 THE MORE BUTTON FOR THE FBX PARAMETRIC WINDOW Pressing the MORE button in the FBX Parametric window accesses the RESET and LOCK soft keys Go To Main Menu Allows you to reset all filters for both channels either globally or selectively Fig 41 Pressing MORE gives you these options LOCK Locks LOCK and unlocks LOCK fixed FBX filters Toggles between channels A and B The R
108. matic Room EQ page 6 Analyzing channel A l 12516 253 15 563 10125 20 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K The POWER Q plays a burst of pink noise for a few seconds measures energy per octave as heard at the reference mic input and performs thousands of calculations to adjust its graphic EQ filters to make this response as flat as possible The entire process will take about 10 seconds per channel Then page 6 screen will indicate the POWER Q channel being analyzed Section 9 Auto Room EQ 9 Auto Room EQ Fig 33 Automatic Room EQ page 7 IMPORTANT Read This When the analysis is complete the POWER Q will display page 7 Automatic Setup Pg 7 Low frequencies rolloff at High frequencies roll off at Do you want to insert matching high and low pass filters Press ENTER if yes or CANCEL if no 2b ds 40 50 do 100 160200 l sls io 630 800 1 25 1 6 31 5 63 125 Lg It 1d 1 ol Lg 25315 5 63 1012 8K 250 500 1K 2K 4K The analysis shows the high and low frequency roll offs inherent in your sound system and this screen allows the user the option of having the POWER Q insert matching high pass and low pass filters Press ENTER to insert the HPF and LPF or press CANCEL if you choose not to insert roll offs Either ENTER or CANCEL will return you to the MAIN MENU Note that if your system response is quite flat from 20 Hz to 20 kHz page 7 will not be displayed and the POWER Q will return you to the MAIN MENU
109. more information about program shaping curves and memory options see sections 10 2 and 16 0 Section 9 Auto Room EQ 9 Auto Room EQ Pressing ENTER displays Page 2 on the screen Automatic Setup Pg2 POWER Q cancompensate for high CANCEL frequencyroll off due to distance from mic tospeaker Highlight desired choice Playprogram material at concert Fig 27 Automatic Room EQ page 2 level so that POWER Q can adjust its ref level ENTER to go CANCELtoexit onotcompensate I Ll I iL ll 1 251 6 25 3 15 i 63 10125 db 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Make sure your POWER Q is in place in the system typically between the mixer output and the power amp or crossover input your system is turned on your reference microphone is in the correct position oriented correctly and plugged into the Ref A jack on the POWER Q back panel and you are ready to play your audio program a prerecorded CD will work fine at performance levels High Frequency Roll Off Compensation The POWER Q automatically calculates its room response curve to either compensate or not for the high frequency roll off detected by the reference mic as a function of distance from the speaker playing the test signal High frequencies are absorbed over distance to a greater degree than low frequencies If the reference mic detects attenuated high frequencies the POWER Q will boost highs in the Room EQ curve to make up for this drop off if do not compensate is chosen This ma
110. multiple units simultaneously for feedback control during performance GRAPHIC EQ RTA Filter Reset Even if POWER Q units are linked filters cannot be reset on more than one unit atatime Therefore filters for multiple units must be reset on a unit by unit basis GRAPHIC EQ RTA Noise Generation You may generate noise on multiple POWER Qs but must turn the noise on for each unit separately However clicking on the NOISE OFF button that appears to the right of the top tool bar whenever noise is being generated by one or more POWER Qs will turn off the noise for ALL POWER Qs Pressing DELETE on your computer keyboard will also shut off all noise STORED CONFIGURATIONS There are two new options that appear with the Sabine POWER Q Remote Software for this function SAVE ALL STATIONS will save all current settings for all POWER Qs as a group save with the touch of one button LOAD ALL STATIONS loads a grouping of presets stored settings for each indi vidual POWER Q in your serial chain with one command Section 21 Digital VO Options 21 Digital 1 0 Options Section 21 Digital 1 0 Option IMPORTANT Read This Fig 75 Digital 1 0 screen To enable your POWER Q Digital I O option your POWER Q must have firmware 2 1 or higher and must be equipped with the optional D I O board If your unit is so equipped the POWER Q back panel will feature AES EBU digital in out connectors These are used to connect to other digital
111. nal takes to reach the microphone after it is generated by the POWER Q This test will be repeated for the second channel While the 1 Khz signals are being tested the POWER Q will display page 4 as follows Automatic Setup Pg4 Fig 19 Auto Delay Setup page 4 Checkingthe reference mic 1 tl iL I I l 800 12516 253 151 5 63 10125 20 TK 2K 4K 8K 16K In the event your microphone doesn t hear a loud enough signal you ll see the following error message Automatic Setup Pg 5 THERE IS INSUFFICIENT LEVEL INREFERENCE CHANNEL ic Fig 20 Auto Delay Setup page 5 Sanere a pad oniihemic Is your power amp loud enough Press CANCEL to exit UE e E e T Tg 80 100 160200 315400 630800 1251 1 Il Lg n 63 125 250 500 1K 2K l 253 151 5 63 10125 4K 8K 1 Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay You may need to turn up your system gain downstream from the POWER Q Check your micro phone and connections and repeat the procedure as needed Note that the POWER Q will automatically turn on or off the 20dB mic reference mic pad as needed In rare instances conditions may arise in which your microphone will not hear much energy from a 1KHz tone due to one of the following conditions Crossover settings If you are using a crossover that produces low frequency response at 1 KHz due to its settings your system may not produce much sound in this frequency band and the reference mic may register i
112. ns the remote software will notify you with a message indicating loss of connection with the unit no longer under remote control as shown Figure 74 below W Warning lel X logged into Power 1 from the front pane Someone ha Fig 74 Logon Warning screen Executing the Reconnect command will reestablish remote control over any and all individual POWER Qs at any time All of these control priorities can be changed with no interruption in the audio signal through the POWER Q All messages from your computer to or from network POWER Qs will be ignored until you reconnect ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MULTIPLE UNIT REMOTE CONTROL OPERATION Aside from the controls for multiple unit remote operation described earlier in this section here are some additional considerations to be aware of when operating the following POWER Q functions with multiple units AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ To insure quick and accurate communication between POWER Q units and your computer make sure to turn off all audio signals feeding the inputs of POWER Q units NOT performing Automatic Room EQ analysis until the analysis is complete Perform Automatic Room EQ for single units only in sequence FBX Setup For similar reasons turn off all audio inputs to POWER Qs except the unit with which you are setting up FBX filters prior to performance Setup FBX filters for single units only in sequence FBX dynamic filters will of course automatically engage on
113. nse of channel A input OUT A displays the response of channel A output 2b ds 4 db oido dobo steato sdosbo rdsr s ashe d ds bile do post EQ FBX parametric HPF 315 amp 68 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K LPF IN B displays the response of channel B input OUT B displays the response of channel B output REF displays system response as The MAIN soft key returns you to the MAIN MENU heard by the reference microphone The second soft key allows adjustment of the vertical scale of the RTA giving you choices of 15 dB 30 dB or 60 dB Note that when you switch from a 60 dB range to either 30 or 15 dB the RTA response may disappear from the screen because it is below the range being displayed You may move the range displayed on the screen with the up down arrow keys to bring the RTA response into optimal view When the up down arrow keys are enabled to perform this function an up down arrow icon will appear at the left extreme of the screen display Pressing the third soft key NOISE accesses the NOISE GENERATION OPTIONS screen Adjusts output level of POWER Q noise generator from 50 dBu to 24 dBu cale 50dBu SOFT to2 amp press ENTERorpressCA fll It IN il ll 80 100 160 200 315 400 630 800 125 1 6 X 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K These controls allow you to choose the type of noise generated at either or both channel outputs of the POWER Q and to set the level of the noise with the da
114. nsufficient level Try changing your crossover frequencies Room modes and phase cancellation It s unlikely but possible that the acoustics of the room in which you re set up may tend to de emphasize 1KHz at particular locations due to the out of phase cancellation of direct and reflected sounds Try moving your microphone position Once levels are sufficient the screen below will appear Automatic Setup Pg 6 Fig 21 Auto Delay Setup page 6 Analyzing channel A iil 1 TNT 1g Lg iL 315 400 630 800 1 251 6 25 ahs 5 63 1 10125 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 2 16k When the microphone hears the signal the POWER Q will time how long the signal takes to reach the microphone from each channel s output and adjust the delay times to make the signals arrive after the same length of time subject to the 83 2 millisecond maximum value The POWER Q will revert to displaying the DIGITAL DELAY screen however each speaker s output delay and the distance from each speaker to the reference microphone will now be displayed and the speaker outputs will be aligned as shown in the screen below DIGITAL DELAY msec 02 4 feet Fig 22 Auto Delay Report Screen UO eters DISTANCE TO SPEAKER 17 7 feet 05 4 meters Seiggg P 2s shs b ols bigs b 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K The entire procedure takes just a few seconds Note that the accuracy of the POWER Q s measurement of speaker distance will generally be correct approximately one foot H
115. ntrol n key and pressing the corresponding function key control F1 selects E POWER Q 1 etc with the exception that F10 cannot be used to zl select a M MNT ME Link Controls The LINK CONTROLS allow any combination of POWER Gs to be linked together and controlled with one adjustment from the POWER Q REMOTE SCREEN LINK LIST allows selection of POWER Qs to be linked together simply click on the POWER Qs in the list that you wish to be linked Linked units will be indicated by a white highlight LINK MODE allows two choices of POWER Q control linkage Absolute and Relative In Absolute Link Mode any adjustment made on the REMOTE SCREEN is instantly copied to all the Linked POWER Qs i e all linked units will adjust to the exact same parameter value In Relative Link Mode any adjustments made on the REMOTE SCREEN will add or subtract from the existing parameter value already set in each unit In other words Relative Mode should only be put in place after individual adjustment of each POWER Q unit in the network and will be used to adjust Linked units in equal increments from each unit s unique baseline Note that many but not all of the POWER Q parameters are subject to LINKED control These parameters are as follows Compressor threshold ratio knee Limiter threshold attack time release time Expander threshold ratio knee Noise gate threshold attack time release time Output level Graphic EQ boost cut filter
116. of the skill in operating sound equipment consists of the fine art of optimizing the balance of clean signal and noise A compressor or in its most powerful form a limiter is probably the most widely used tool in the control of dynamic range In simple terms a compressor is designed to restrict the dynamic range of an audio program i e to make quiet signals louder and loud signals quieter A compressor becomes a limiter when the compression ratio the ratio of the output gain change to the input gain change is so high that the output level won t rise above a brick wall ceiling regardless of how loud the input gets The practical benefits of compression include 1 speaker protection as the compressor will restrict the musical peaks from excessive amplitude 2 a greater average volume and a fatter sound since turning down the peaks allows the rest of the program to be raised in volume and 3 more gain consistent mix components For example a compressor will restrict the dynamic ups and downs of a vocalist so the vocal won t fall below the rest of the mix when the singer sings quietly or rise out of the mix when the vocals are loud The most common negative side effect of compression is a pumping or breathing sound that sometimes accompanies constant gain modulation This can be minimized by proper adjustment of the attack release thresh and knee controls 14 2 POWER Q COMPRESSOR LIMITER ADJUSTMENTS The
117. oom with less than ideal acoustics this is better treated with a wider filter DISTORTED AUDIO Most likely you are pushing a VERY HOT signal into the box It s hard to make the POWER Q clip Check con nections for intermittence or check downstream from the POWER Q Check the POWER Q Digital Clip Level in the Global Parameters window and turn it up or adjust Clip Adjust to AUTO ALTERNATIVELY The POWER Q may still be in TURBO mode which automatically maximizes the Clip Level until the first dynamic FBX filter is set You may exit TURBO mode in several ways see section 11 2 NOISY AUDIO Bypass the POWER Q If noise is still there it s not the POWER Q If noise goes away check the POWER Q Digital Clip Level and turn it up or adjust Clip Adjust to CLIPGUARD AUTOMATIC ROOM EQ POOR RESULTS Check the reference microphone you re using and make sure it s flat Consider the reference microphone position and experiment YOU SPEND TOO MUCH TIME READING MANUALS Take up a useful hobby like stamp collecting Get out more often Be glad you don t have to write one or do the page layout Section 25 Specifications 25 Specifications Section 25 Engineering Specifications FBX Parametric Filters Twelve independent digital notch filters per channel controlled automatically or parametrically from 20 Hz to 20 KHz each switchable between FBX fixed filters FBX dynamic filters and par
118. ou may use for the POWER Q even in the same auditorium In actual practice many or most sound engineers will choose to adjust EQ settings differently for various applications For example the system EQ desirable for a hip hop artist would likely require more low end boost than would be appropriate for an acoustic folk artist This additional applica tion specific EQ is the second EQ added to the sound Let s call it the Program EQ The actual total EQ added to your program by the POWER Q is the combination of Room EQ Program EQ FBX filters parametric filters and high and low pass filters The resultant total curve reflecting all these changes can be viewed in both the graphic EQ and FBX Parametric Filter screens This curve shows a combination of all EQ and filtering currently active in the POWER Q bypassing Room or Program EQ see Section 22 will change the curve display accordingly A Hardware bypass will simply bypass all the processing of the POWER Q and the curve display will NOT change though the EQ shown will not be in the signal path Only the Program EQ will be saved and recalled by the POWER Q The Room EQ will be stored in memory even after the unit is turned off as the default Room EQ and will remain in the signal path unless it is bypassed Section 22 reset Section 10 2 or until another Automatic Room EQ procedure is run Then the results of the new analysis will become the Room EQ default The reasoning for this is
119. ow filter sometimes widen other filters as well especially considering that I ve made my tests with a stationary mic As soon as the mic is moved the feedback frequencies will shift and want to cover that situation as well Besides experimenting with widening filters also set an unused ADF filter to D for the show to catch feedback that may occur under performance conditions The beauty of the Sabine FBX filters is how well they detect feedback even when music is playing After I ve completed the ringing out process I ll try and use the ADF s integral delay and gate to further assist me in achieving the greatest gain before feedback With the gate set at a very low threshold but above the room ambience the sound of a podium mic or omnidirectional lavaliere can often be improved And by delaying the signal ever so slightly perhaps 10 milliseconds another slight increase in gain before feedback especially at low frequencies can be realized The ADF has become an indispensable tool in my quest for the maximum gain before feedback and I m sure you ll find the same results Section 24 Troubleshooting Section 24 Troubleshooting Tips PROBLEM SUGGESTION Hl BACKGROUND In the unlikely event you should experience trouble with the unit here are some sugges tions about what might be wrong Some of these are pretty obvious but so sometimes are the solutions For additional assis
120. parametric window 4 11 6 Preventing feedback in the event of equipment failure 12 0 Using the POWER Q High and Low Pass Filters 38 13 0 Using the POWER Q Real Time Analyzer ssssssseeeeeees 18 1 Using a real time analyzer 13 2 POWER Q RTA adjustments 4 13 4 Using the POWER Q RTA during performance 14 0 Using the POWER Q Compressor Limiter ssssseeeseeeneens 8i 14 1 Compressor limiter applications and use Hy 14 2 POWER Q compressor limiter adjustments 15 0 Using the POWER Q Expander Noise Gate ssssssseeeenne 15 1 Expander noise gate applications and use ky 15 2 POWER Q expander noise gate adjustments 4 16 0 Saving and Loading Stored Configurations essen 16 1 Recall and storage options and use 16 2 Saving EQ Settings Room EQ and Program EQ 16 3 Using the POWER Q stored configuration window 4 17 0 Global Parameters Configuring Internal Default Values eeee 4 18 0 Password emmennmemeeenen nnne nennen nter esset serere en erras sein rn as el 19 0 POWER Q Options i crate ce eee ea HER ei Ie ertt a sod Rao ee us 20 0 Remote Control of the POWER Q ssssssssssseeeeeeee nennen nnns l 20 1 Computer Requirements K 20 2 Installing SABINE POWER Q Remote Software y 20 3 Using SAB
121. quite simple every room is different even the same room will have differ ences from one performance to the next and calibrating your system with Automatic Room EQ which takes only seconds insures optimal performance in the new space We even encourage you to re Auto EQ the same room periodically Once your Room EQ is set you ve established the Section 10 Graphic EQ 10 Graphic EQ same flat starting point for further EQ changes and now you can add by programming or from one of the 99 POWER Q memories your favorite Program EQ The POWER Q allows you to develop and save Program EQs and load them into the POWER Q graphic EQ with the touch of a button An engineer who works with a variety of acts that each require a specific program curve will be able to customize an EQ curve for each act and name save and recall each curve quickly In a new acoustical space by performing the Automatic Room EQ procedure followed by the recall of a Program EQ a sound engineer will achieve these powerful advantages e Consistency of sound Quick setup You should be able to EQ the system in just a few minutes Quick and reliable change of EQ from one performer to another Predictable change of EQ in mid performance Quick loading of EQ templates to match the style of new or unfamiliar performers Amaze them with how quickly you catch on to their sound Please note that the total boost including Room and Program EQ for any EQ slide
122. r equipped with Pentium processor 100 Mhz or faster 2 Hard disc with at least 1 5 MB of available space for program files 3 Windows 3 1 or Windows 95 4 POWER Q with firmware 2 4 or higher for software v2 03 Firmware 2 3 or lower requires software v1 24 5 SVGA or greater resolution graphic card and monitor 6 One COMM port for a serial connection with a 16550 or faster comm chip 7 Cables amp Connector If your computer has a 9 pin COMM port use a standard 9 pin male to 9 pin female RS232 standard computer store connectors for example Radio Shack Cat No 26 117 Plug into the POWER Q s back panel RS232 male jack labeled SERIAL If you computer s COMM port is has a 25 pin connector use a standard RS232 25 pin female to 9 pin male standard computer store connector Alternatively use a 25 pin female to 9 pin male adapter for example Radio Shack Cat No 26 287 and a standard 9 pin to 9 pin connector described above Plug into the POWER Q s back panel RS232 jack labeled SERIAL HANDS ON Pin configurations below are provided for your knowledge and convenience No action is required for connectivity Do not use any connectors that are wired for a null modem DB9pin to DBS pin DB9pin to DB25 pin Male Female Male Female DB9 DB9 DB9 DB25 Function Pin 1 Pin 4 Pin 1 Pin 8 DCD Data
123. r is limited to a total of 12 dB the limit for any slider s cut Room and Program combined is 15 dB Automatic Room EQ alone will not impose a boost greater than 6 dB or a cut greater than 15 dB 10 2 POWER Q GRAPHIC EQ SCREENS AND OPTIONS GRAPHIC EQ CURVE DISPLAY RESET FILTERS To access the POWER Q Graphic Equalizer controls press soft key 2 GRAPHIC EQ from the MAIN MENU The MAIN MENU options can be scrolled using the MORE button or up down arrow keys Pushing this key will display the image of a 31 band graphic equalizer on the screen The frequency midpoints of each band are displayed at the bottom of the equalizer window There are two pages to the GRAPHIC EQ controls accessed by pressing the MORE button Press ing MORE changes the bottom soft key function from Channel Selection to Curve Selection Channel Selection and Slider Adjustment Press MORE until soft key 4 reads A B or LINK This key selects the POWER Q audio channel controlled by the EQ sliders Selected Slider Channel A Frequency Slider Depth Channel B Slider Depth 23 F 3150 A 00 B 09 ir did Selected Slider Allows you to reset all filters Number 15 for both channels either R globally or individually Fig 34 Graphic EQ Screen Mun Fn E R CU A CU B CU A amp B Allows you to see the total EQ curve for channel A B or A amp B
124. remote POWER Q network by assigning names e g MAINS or MONITORS or IDs besides the default POWER Q serial numbers to each POWER Q in the network A aference Hams Eding Fig 71 Reference Name Screen P men Click here and type name Simply click in the field below each POWER Q icon displayed on the screen and type in your chosen name for each unit Each name or ID may have up to 8 characters The Copy Device screen at right Figure 72 allows instant param eter copying from a source POWER Q to any or all of the other POWER Gs in the network The currently selected POWER Q chosen by highlighting the unit in the Main Screen is displayed in the left hand Copy From column and all other POWER Gs in the network are shown in the right hand Copy To column Simply click on any POWER Gs in the right column that you wish to have copy some or all of the parameter values set in your selected source POWER Q A single click arms the copy function for each chosen POWER Q destination as indicated by a solid line and arrow connecting the source and each selected POWER Q a second click disarms copy and removes the connecting line Select All Stations will arm the copy function for all POWER Qs in the Copy To column Hi ET 57 the copy network Section 20 Remote Control Once your COPY network is setup press OK to initiate copying This will present the screen below Fig
125. s also offer two other advantages regarding visual imaging Studies have shown that people can detect even small horizontal changes in the direction of a sound source but vertical shifts are much less noticeable This suggests that the sound from center cluster speakers is more likely to be visually aligned with the performer than loudspeakers placed on each side of the stage All those in the audience who are closer to the performer than the center cluster will hear the direct sound from the performer before they hear the sound from the loudspeakers This makes the sound seem to come from the performer not the loudspeakers See the Precedence Effect below Comb Filter Distortion Many who took high school science may remember ripple tank experiments where waves are generated from two separate point sources The waves from each source combine to form visible interference patterns In some places the wave crests and troughs are in phase so they combined to make a larger wave In other places the crests are out of phase so the crest of one wave source is canceled by the trough of the other Ripple tank experiments show the interference patterns are strongest when the amplitudes of the waves from each source are equal A similar interference occurs in sound systems when a signal is delayed and mixed back into the original signal These interference patterns are called COMB FILTERS because their frequency response plots look like the teeth of a com
126. s expressed have been complied with Sabine will provide the necessary warranty service to repair or replace the product and will return it FREIGHT COLLECT to you the purchaser Sabine s liability to the purchaser for damages from any cause whatsoever and regardless of the form of action including negligence is limited to the actual damages up to the greater of 500 00 oran amount equal to the purchase price of the product that caused the damage or that is the subject of or is directly related to the cause of action Such purchase price will be that in effect for the specific product when PATI aS Naupo the cause of action arose This limitation of liability will not apply to claims for personal injury or damage to real property or tangible personal property allegedly caused by Sabine s negligence Sabine does not assume liability for personal injury or property damage arising out of or caused by a non Sabine alteration or attachment nor does Sabine assume any responsibility for damage to interconnected non Sabine equipmentthat may result from the normal functioning and maintenance of the Sabine equipment UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL SABINE BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS LOST SAVINGS ANY INCIDENTAL DAMAGES OR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT EVEN IF SABINE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES THESE LIMITED WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLU
127. s to reveal the screen in Fig 48 on page 40 of this manual Press soft key 3 NOISE The NOISE GENERATION OPTIONS screen Fig 45 page 39 will appear Set the gain of the noise generator to the desired setting then select PINK in A amp B and hit ENTER This will play pink noise through both speaker stacks While observing the RTA as heard by the reference microphone experiment with delays in both channels A and B until the comb filtering is minimized i e the frequency response as heard by the reference microphone shows minimal peaks and valleys When you re satisfied your comb filtering is minimized proceed with equalization 13 4 USING THE POWER Q RTA DURING PERFORMANCE The POWER Q RTA need not be used only as W a setup tool It can also be employed as a visual aid when mixing live or recorded sound If the reference microphone is set up and feeding the RTA input during performance you will see a HANDS ON frequency map of the sound energy emanating from the speakers as heard at the reference mic Superimposed on top of the RTA you will see the graphic EQ sliders in the positions you have set them The RTA may prove useful in the following ways During sound check when it is possible to use the mixing console s Solo function or by using an auxiliary bus during performance it is possible to analyze the frequency map of an individual voice or instrument with the POWER Q RTA This may show useful frequency
128. so be set manually from inside the POWER Q REAL TIME ANALYZER window Refer to Section 13 3 for more details Automatic Delay Alignment If you have positioned a reference microphone for RTA analysis or Automatic Room EQ the same microphone can be used by the POWER Q to measure the distance from the speaker to the microphone The qualities of the microphone are not an impor tant consideration for delay alignment although they are for EQ adjustments The POWER Q will then set the delay times for its two channels to allow the sound from each speaker to reach the microphone at the same time compensating for the different distances from the mic to the two speakers To execute Automatic Delay Alignment press the ALIGN soft key in the DIGITAL DELAY screen The following screen will appear Automatic Setup Pg 1 072 DO NOT RUN DURINGA PERFORMANCE Make sure the reference micis at least Fig 16 Auto Delay Setup page 1 6 feet away from strongly reflective surfaces s ch as walls and windows Press ENTER to continue or CANCEL to exit D 40 80 do vo aozo stsato dosto Lids ve 2531s es roids 2 31 6 63 125 250 500 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay Your sound system must be set up and operational and the gain of any equipment downstream in the signal path from the POWER Q must be turned up to operating level You must also be able to play audio program a prerecorded CD will work fine
129. ta wheel Make sure you set the noise level before you press ENTER The noise level defaults to 50 dBu The noise level can still be adjusted after ENTER is pressed and noise operation begins When you have selected the desired type of noise and output channel s with the arrow keys press ENTER to begin noise Section 13 RTA 13 RTA Fig 46 Pressing MORE gives you these options Fig 47 Pressing MORE gives you these options Fig 48 Pressing MORE gives you these options generation The POWER Q display will automatically switch to show the real time analysis in progress displays the response you choose under soft key 4 Pressing the NOISE soft key once more turns off the noise generator The fourth soft key chooses either the A or B channel input or output response of the POWER Q or the frequency response of the program heard at the reference microphone REF Press MORE to see the following screen P amp H 0 1 4 Adjusts the peak and hold reset time of the RTA from instantaneous P amp H 0 to 1 second 4 seconds or the highest peak WT NO AIBIC Choose among A B or C weighting or none WT NO NOISE Opens the noise generation options window Choose pink or white noise for the output of channels A and or B CURVE Superimposes the EQ response curve for channel A CU A channel B CU B or both CU A amp B The first soft key varies the peak and hold reset time of the RTA from instant
130. te feedback To reset press the MORE button until the option RESET appears next to the second soft key button Press RESET and you will be given the option of resetting all filters or just the FBX graphic or parametric filters for one or both channels See the section on GLOBAL PARAMETERS for more information about controlling FBX automatic feedback control filters PARAMETRIC FILTERS f a filter type is set to PARAM parametric it is possible to edit its frequency width and depth by moving to the appropriate field with the arrow keys while in the LIST mode press the second soft key button LIST CURVE until you see a table of filters You can set the center frequency of POWER Q parametric filters anywhere between 20 Hz and 20 KHz with 1 Hz placement resolution The filter s WIDTH ranges from 9 99 octaves to 0 01 octave The DEPTH can be set anywhere from 84 dB cut to 12 dB gain in 1 dB increments These param eters are set using the arrow keys to choose the correct parameter and the data wheel to change the parameter value Section 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQS 11 FBX PARAMETRIC EQs You can also edit the parametric filters in the CURVE mode accessed by pressing the second soft key button CURVE LIST until you see a frequency by amplitude display This gives you an EQ curve view of the filters edited in the LIST mode plus allows click and drag graphic editing for parametric filters using the arrow k
131. tect feedback set Bandwidth to 1 10 octave a good starting point and set Maximum Cut to 10 dB so the most filtering that can occur is a very narrow 10dB cut Next begin the automatic ringing out of the PA assuming the sound system is all setup and tonally balanced with the mic most likely to need the greatest gain positioned on stage set all of the ADF filters to P parametric except one which I set to D dynamic FBX so that it will catch the first feedback Then boost the mic gain until it starts to actually feed back and voila the ADF catches the feedback and makes a cut only as deep as necessary to eliminate feed back at that mic volume at the EXACT frequency of the feedback with the filter had set to D then back off the mic gain switch the D filter to P and check the depth of the filter cut If it s deeper than 3 5 dB usually change it to 3 dB for starters Section 23 Pro s Guide 23 Pro s Guide then move on to the next ADF filter setting it to D and repeat the process until l ve caught the first 5 or 6 ringing frequencies maybe more in a tough situation Then examine the frequen cies of the filters put in place automatically by the ADF If it turns out that some of them are very close together I ll pick an in between frequency and widen a filter there eliminating others close by in order to place fewer filters in the signal path Also since 1 10 of an octave is a very narr
132. th of a filter notch at the 3dB half power level Note that the graphic EQ filters are constant Q filters mean ing their width will not change as the filter depth increases EQ FILTER WIDTH is adjustable from 5 to 1 0 octave in 01 octave increments FBX FILTER WIDTH globally adjusts the width of fixed and dynamic automatic FBX filters It does not affect parametric filters Width is adjustable from 01 to 1 00 octave in 01 octave increments Narrow filters are more transparent and affect audio content less wide filters provide more robust feedback control and allow greater microphone mobility before feedback occurs A 0 10 octave setting is recommended for musical performances and a setting of 0 20 octave is recommended for voice applications FBX MAX DEPTH globally adjusts the maximum cut an FBX filter can make The range varies from 80dB to 6dB adjustable in 1dB increments Access page 2 of GLOBAL PARAMETERS using the downward arrow key or the MORE key GLOBAL PARAMETERS Pg 2 of 2 FBX FILTER TRACKING y Oct FBX FILTER PERSISTENCE Fig 57 Global param BX FILTER SENSITIVITY 05 eters screen page 2 REF MIC PHANTOM POWER whe REF MIC 20dB PAD 0 Ll 1 25 1 6 25 3 16 i 63 1012 1K 2K 4K 8K Section 17 Global Parameters 17 Global Parameters FBX FILTER TRACKING globally adjusts the range over which an automatic FBX filter can move to accommodate feedback frequencies that may drift slightl
133. the sections you need by scanning for the appropriate icons This manual is written to provide background information for implementing the POWER Q s features in appropriate situations These sections of the manual are denoted with the BACK GROUND icon Sections of the manual pertaining to operating the POWER Q are indicated by the HANDS ON icon Any information we think is essential is highlighted with an IMPORTANT READ THIS icon If you really can t wait to get started using your POWER Q immediately refer to our quick start section Section 5 We do recommend you read the manual for a fuller understanding and more complete utilization of the POWER Q s features Section 2 Front amp Back Panel Views amp Controls Fig 1 POWER Q Front Panel Remote Control Indicators MIDI MIDI data Function Indicators for each channel CLIP CLIP LEVEL indicator lights when the input level is 3 dB below clipping level LIMIT Indicates signal above limit or compressor Section 2 Controls BACKGROUND MORE Button chooses additional POWER Q menus i threshold or soft key selections SERIAL RS232 serial port data SIGNAL Lights when signal level is above 30 dBV DIGITAL AES EBU digital interface peak GATE Indicates signal below gate or expander Up Down Left Right Reference Mic threshold Cursor Movement Keys Data Wheel Clip Indicator selects values p 1 A POWER
134. u ve identified all POWER Qs in your serial network and successfully launched the program the screen below will appear The default function screen is the Real Time Analyzer amp EQ screen BACKGROUND W POWER O VID sn Comm Peet E7 a000703 All other functions may be se Ele Gebet fila Menu prions nk Dption lected using pull down menus icons or function buttons see below All remote adjustments are identical to the operation of the POWER Q through its front panel controls Sider Hi fitter Gen d Shim feg ds pA Scale II NOTE ON RTA DISPLAY Because of the speed of serial com Fig 64 Remote el munication the RTA display for the Screen Sabine remote software will not re spond as quickly as the front panel display on the POWER Q unit itself ETT et or cil Frequency gen BE PASS Sirm Locked Main RTA Screen Upper Icon Bar y The icons across the top of the screen represent the functions of the Power Q These functions can be selected by one of three methods a mouse click on the icon click and release pull down from the Main Menu or by pressing the Function keys of your computer keyboard As indicated in the pull down menu F1 and F10 are not control keys HANDS ON Buttons appear only when function is engaged dg POWER Q V2 03 on Comm Port 32 4000703 L d File Select Main Menu Options Link Option ontro
135. ure 70 Select the parameters you desire Depending on your selection various parameters will be copied from your source POWER Q The numbered clickable buttons in the screen below Figure 73 correspond to the numbered functions listed below HANDS ON 1 COPY ALL PARAMETERS 31 Band EQ High Low pass Filter and FBX Filters When selected the functions below are copied Delay Settings Compressor threshold ratio knee Limiter threshold attack time release time Expander threshold ratio knee Noise gate threshold attack time release time Output level EQ filter width FBX Filters width max depth tracking persistence sensitivity Bypass Phantom power 20 dB reference microphone roll off High and low pass filters 31 Band Graphic EQ boost cut 12 FBX Parametric filters type frequency depth width 2 COPY ALL PARAMETERS 31 Band EQ High Low pass Filter When selected the functions below are copied 1 Delay Settings Compressor threshold ratio knee 2 a UE aa ae Limiter threshold attack time release time See sd rane r kelisd bs oed Expander threshold ratio knee Noise gate threshold attack time release time 3 SL Output level 4 Copy All Parameters Except Filters EQ filter width Cancel FBX width max depth tracking persistence sensitivity Bypass Phantom power 20 dB reference microphone roll off High and low pass filters 31 Band Graphic EQ boost cut
136. ure the power in your area is compatible with the power module accompanying the unit Using the wrong input voltage may cause permanent damage to the unit and will void the warranty The POWER Q is supplied with one of the following AC power cords Japan 100 VAC U S North America 120 VAC Continental Europe 230 VAC United Kingdom 240 VAC Australia 240 VAG AN Caution Replace the fuse with a fuse of exactly the same rating specified on the rear of the product 1 Read all safety and operating instructions before using this product 2 All safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference 3 Obey all cautions in the operating instructions and on the unit 4 All operating instructions should be followed 5 This product should not be used in the presence of moisture or rain or near any water i e a bathtub sink swimming pool wet basement etc 6 This product should be located so that its position does not interfere with proper ventilation Do not use in direct sunlight Do not place flat against a wall or in a built in enclosure that will impede the flow of cooling air 7 This product should not be placed near a source of heat such as a stove or radiator 8 Connect only to a power supply of the type marked on the unit adjacent to the power 9 Never break off the ground pin on the power supply cord 10 Power supply cords should always be handled carefully Never walk or place equipment
137. width Bypass Phantom power High and low pass filters FBX Filter width max depth tracking persistence sensitivity Delay Settings 20 dB reference microphone roll off Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control Pull Down Menus Main Menu pull downs Figure 69 allow selection of all POWER Q functions via click and release Cascade allows function screens to be displayed without completely covering previous screen displays bce Mera Gipsa Link Orin SELECT pull down menu displays each POWER Q in the serial network Click Ge Landi and release to connect controls on the main screen to your chosen POWER Q Avant Rote 0 Fa in the network you are currently controlling FEM Amd ParameticFiters Fa Sysiam Faaquency Fesporee F4 This is identical to clicking on your chosen POWER Q in the upper left corner of ZZ the main screen ComperssanLindet FE Espander Kees Gale E The Options menu Figure 70 allows access to both the Copy Devices and the DW Detay Fa Reference Name Edit screens as shown below The screens these two options i Cenigustins fe reveal are shown in detail on the following page Gabel Panair Diya Buda Froni Paael LEDs F12 Bi POWER G v2 03 on C CWER Port 2 4000703 Eie Sect ain Manu Link i HE Link Ceton Copy Dracos Fig 69 Main Pull Down Menu Fig 70 Options Pull Down Menu The Reference Name Edit screen below Figure 71 allows you to customize your
138. wman 11 2 FBX TURBO AUTO TURBO SETUP MODES You are provided with three optional methods use these ONLY for setup of identifying and eliminating feedback frequencies For any of the modes you must have your sound system set up plugged in and all your microphones in place and turned on The three methods of setup are Normal default mode which involves simply configuring your FBX filters as you desire see Section 11 1 then slowly raising the master mixer output assuming the POWER Q is inserted between the mixer and the power amp with all the mics that might create a feedback problem open and turned on As feedback occurs the POWER Q will automatically set filters until you ve achieved the additional gain you desire or until you ve engaged all the filters available Turbo Setup mode maximizes the POWER Q clip level and sets all FBX parameters to a more sensitive to feedback condition then normal operation It also places a moving limiter that tracks gain changes as feedback occurs but allows the feedback to occur at a quieter level Feedback is created by slowly raising the master mixer output with all the mics that might create a feedback problem open and turned on Automatic Turbo Setup mode is a form of Turbo Mode that lets the POWER Q automatically control the gain and automatically ring out feedback frequencies Automatic Setup also imposes a limiter on the feedback volume thus allowing system setup with quiet feedback lev
139. word 13829 Information about the secret SABINE handshake and decoder ring will also be delivered to your door by masked courier Section 20 Remote Control 20 Remote Control Section 19 POWER Q Options The POWER Q is available in the following configurations Standard model Analog in out Transformer analog I O Analog connections with Jensen transformers Blank front panel For remote control via RS 232 serial port interface to Windows software Digital and analog I O Adds an AES EBU digital interface in addition to the standard analog connections Section 20 Sabine Remote Control for POWER Q POWER Q units with the Serial remote control option or blank front panel POWER Qs ADF 4SLU can be remote controlled by a Windows equipped computer If your POWER Q has this option the back panel will have connectors labeled Serial and Network The Serial connector HANDS ON is for connecting the first POWER Q to your computer Additional POWER Qs are connected together via the Network connector The Windows software necessary to operate the POWER Q is included in your purchase of the remote control option or the ADF 4SLU slave unit 20 1 COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS When you order a POWER Q with the Remote Control option or you purchase an ADF 4SLU blank front panel version you will receive two 3 5 POWER Q for Windows disks In order to use the software you will need the following System Requirements 1 Compute
140. y as a result of humidity and tempera ture changes see section 11 2 This parameter is adjustable to a width from 01 to 10 octave centered around the original frequency of the automatic FBX filter If feedback occurs within your specified window the POWER Q automatically tracks it with the existing filter FBX FILTER PERSISTENCE determines the relative length of time that a suspected feedback tone or signal must be present before it is classified as feedback and automatically suppressed PERSISTENCE is used in conjunction with SENSITIVITY to determine the authenticity of feed back and to discriminate musical tones from real feedback Higher values of PERSISTENCE require more time for the POWER Q to decide whether a given signal is feedback For musical styles that may feature long sustained notes or tones e g classical set the PERSISTENCE value high 4 or 5 for example to minimize the chance of mistaking the long sustain for real feedback Set PERSISTENCE to 2 for speech applications Range of values 1 5 Default 3 FBX FILTER SENSITIVITY adjusts the POWER Q s sensitivity to the harmonic content of the suspected feedback signal before it can be classified as feedback Used in conjunction with PERSISTENCE SENSITIVITY discriminates between feedback which tends to have low har monic content and music tones which tend to have more harmonic content Some musical instruments and singers are capable of producing tones whic
141. y result in an overemphasis of high frequencies for audience members closer to the speakers than the reference mic When the Compensate option is chosen the POWER Q inserts a high frequency roll off filter 12dB per octave to compensate for this overemphasis The POWER Q automatically measures the distance from the speaker to the reference mic with a test tone and calculates the appropriate roll off depending on the speaker to mic distance To summarize selecting COMPENSATE will cause the Automatic Room EQ analysis to produce a response curve with more high frequency information at distances closer to the speak ers In small rooms this compensation may not be necessary To implement simply highlight your choice to compensate or not Now play your test audio through the system Set levels to concert volume as the POWER Q will calibrate to the level you establish Once the audio is playing press ENTER again If the POWER Q detects insufficient level at its inputs this screen will notify you of the absence of signal in either or both channels as shown below Automatic Setup Pg 3 There is insufficient level in CH A Check your connections Fig 28 Auto Setup page 3 Press CANCEL to exit 1d 1 ol 1 251 6 2 5 3 15 i ds 10125 do 1K 2K 4K 8K 16K Note that this INSUFFICIENT LEVEL message refers to the INPUT audio signal present at either or both inputs of the POWER Q You must play and audio signal CD tape or live music
142. you can use a phase checker especially for synchronizing the signals of two loud speakers either LF and HF or two full range systems since most of the phase checkers include a click generator and receiver Phase checkers are quite affordable and have other uses besides synchronization Processing or Group Delays Converting signals back and forth from the analog to digital domain always delays the signal a little These conversion delays are often called processing or group delays and usually range between 0 9 and 5 milliseconds You will notice that Sabine delays always display the processing delay as the smallest possible delay value For the POWER Q the processing delay is 1 38 milliseconds You can bypass the unit for 0 seconds delay Not all manufacturers acknowledge processing delays in their specifications but you must take them into account when synchronizing your system Make sure all digital equipment is on and not bypassed when synchronizing Also be careful to make an appropriate adjustment in your delay lines if you later add any type of digital equipment to the system Section 8 Digital Delay 8 Digital Delay Center Cluster Speakers Center cluster speakers offer several advantages over systems that have speakers mounted on the sides The most obvious advantage is that the distance to the closest and most distant locations in the audience is often almost equal so most listeners hear about the same level Center cluster

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