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M 18 Digital Mixer User’s Manual 

4 

 

The M series Digital Mixers by RCF 

 

A  new  family  of  compact  Digital  Mixers  have  been  designed  by  RCF,  with  the  aim  to  address  the 
requirements of modern performing musicians. 

The main goal is to allow the user to minimize the amount of equipment needed for a live act. Therefore, a 
significant effort has been spent to include all the main features to ensure a seamless performance. These 
features are the following: 

-

 

compact  size:  the  mixer  is  small  and  can  be  placed  anywhere  within  the  stage  or  between  the 
instruments 

-

 

full remote control over WiFi of all features 

-

 

integration of high-quality amplifier modeling 

-

 

internal WiFi Access Point and Power Supply 

The M series of Digital Mixers are ideal in all cases where a dedicated sound engineer may not be available, 
and therefore a FOH mixer would be inappropriate. The musicians themselves can perform the sound check 
by moving in from of the house PA with a tablet and setting up the mixer accordingly. 

Two  independent  amplifier  simulation  algorithms,  licensed  from  Overloud  ™,  have  been  included  into  a 
multieffect-like organization of internal effects. This enables a further option to avoid bringing on the stage 
bulky and large amplifiers, relying on the main PA and stage monitors. 

A high-quality stereo player is available on the unit, accessing files from a USB flash drive, representing a 
further option in minimizing the amount of equipment required for a live gig. 

Therefore,  you  can  leave  home  several  items,  such  as  the  multicore  snake,  external  effects  that  would 
normally  connect  to  the  mixer,  guitar  and/or  bass  amplifiers,  external  file  player,  and  yet  obtain  a  high-
quality and professional result. 

 

 

Summary of Contents for M 18

Page 1: ... s Manual Date 10 mag 2016 Rev 1 1 020 p n 10399006 rev C This document refers to Firmware version 203 iOS MixRemote app version 1 1 0 build 105 This manual also applies to firmware 182 and app ver 1 0 2 with side notes to highlight the differences and or limitations ...

Page 2: ...ion that matches the installed firmware MixRemote ver 1 1 0 build 105 is compatible with both released firmware versions RCF S p A accepts no liability for any loss which may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description photograph or statement contained herein Technical specifications appearances and other information are subject to change without notice All t...

Page 3: ...C 30 METERS view 33 LOAD SAVE view 34 SETTINGS view 35 Hardware Description 39 Connectors 39 Startup sequence and recovery from an error condition 41 Restoring the unit with firmware ver 182 42 Restoring the unit with firmware ver 203 43 M 18 Usage 43 Secrets of mixing on a digital console 44 Sound Shaping with M 18 45 DRUMS 46 BASS 48 KEYBOARDS 48 ELECTRIC GUITARS 49 ACOUSTIC GUITARS 49 VOICE 50 ...

Page 4: ...cases where a dedicated sound engineer may not be available and therefore a FOH mixer would be inappropriate The musicians themselves can perform the sound check by moving in from of the house PA with a tablet and setting up the mixer accordingly Two independent amplifier simulation algorithms licensed from Overloud have been included into a multieffect like organization of internal effects This e...

Page 5: ...ons to save and recall internal parameters MixRemote iOS app Detailed reference of the MixRemote app for iOS which is the primary way to interact with the mixer itself All app views and controls are presented in detail Hardware Description Overview of the connections available on rear panel Detailed indications on the startup sequence and recovery options M 18 Usage Useful tips on how to make the ...

Page 6: ...channels 9 and 10 in each of these two blocks an amp simulator is available Two 3 stage MultiFX blocks dedicated to channels 5 and 6 or 9 and 10 A highly musical Mastering Processor on the MAIN L R output signals A 31 band stereo Graphic Equalizer on the MAIN L R output signals after the Mastering Processor The MultiFX blocks can be managed independently from the mixer with a set of memories which...

Page 7: ... value and of course being pre fader is not affected by the fader level Personal Mix mode in which a separate mix of all inputs including the 2 channel player is available and allows a complete stereo mix to be routed to the PHONES output and optionally to a pair of AUX outputs see routing options A complete overview of the M 18 internal features is shown here below The internal Access Point is a ...

Page 8: ...m the algorithm to start with if you are looking for hi impact reverberations large medium warm bright Plate classic all purpose algorithm with unique character digital vintage Ambience the first choice if you are looking for something to expand the stereo field or to somehow enhance the sounds model 1 model 2 TIP The reverberation is one of the most crucial signal processors to achieve a correct ...

Page 9: ...and MFX4 are similar to MFX1 and MFX2 but they add OverDrive modeling and a high quality Amp Simulation section The order of cascaded effects can be modified for each patch the M series has a total of 5 different effect families and one of each family is available within a MultiFX block as follows Effect Family Abbreviation MFX1 2 MFX3 4 Description Modulation MOD YES YES classical modulators typi...

Page 10: ...g on input level the more you feed it with a louder signal the earlier you get a saturated sound so be careful with your levels inside the mixer and use it very slightly if you want to use it only for warming your sound XCITER It allows to sculp sound with two adaptive curves on the low end and high end The frequency of these curves have been tailored to fit easily and quickly every kind of mix Yo...

Page 11: ...ame venue The SNAPSHOT is ideal for storing all the settings that are related to a specific song or context i e you can change EQ and equalization types on all input channels as well as all send effects both send levels and effect types When using the M 18 as a submixer you can also save input channels levels by enabling the Mix Bus option during Save this helps in obtaining a consistent audio res...

Page 12: ...SOR parameters INPUTS CH names OUTPUT CH names SEND EFFECTS parameters MASTER PROCESSOR parameters FXs Bus Level Mute Mix Bus parameters if enabled at save MFX1 PATCH number if enabled in SETTINGS MFX2 PATCH number if enabled in SETTINGS MFX3 PATCH number if enabled in SETTINGS MFX4 PATCH number if enabled in SETTINGS A SNAPSHOT saves all the parameters not directly related to the outputs Mix Bus ...

Page 13: ... not connected to the mixer itself You have three options available Welcome screen In this view you can choose between the following Offline M08 this feature is intended for the M08 model is currently disabled and reserved for future upgrades OffLine M18 you can browse all features of the app without the need to connect to a physical M 18 unit Connect the mixer connects to your control device in f...

Page 14: ...UTS 6 PHONES 7 REC PLAY 8 METERS 9 LOAD SAVE 10 and SETTINGS 11 the active tab is backlit On the right side there s the RCF logo 3 which is lit in brilliant white when your controller is connected to the M 18 Digital Mixer A small indicator just below the logo signals lights up to indicate that the M 18 Digital Mixer is busy and the app is waiting for a response The fader caps are color coded cons...

Page 15: ...el indicator and under the fader there is the headphone icon 17 if the PFL mode is activated please see the Settings tab Global page Finally there s the number of the hardware input 18 which can t be modified The faders of the 18 analog inputs are followed by PLAY L and PLAY R faders controlling the signal from stereo USB flash drive these channels don t have the PRE DYN section Finally there are ...

Page 16: ...hout requiring to go back to the INPUTS view On MixRemote ver 1 1 0 The RCF PRE preamplifier now features a single GAIN control from 0 dB to 60 dB in 31 dB steps the LED indicating the activation of the Phantom 48V power over the INV switch phase inversion The display shows the values of each parameter including the frequency of the HPF selectable between 10Hz and 500Hz which is activated via its ...

Page 17: ...or is shown including the contribution of POST GAIN control For faster adjustments the compressor features the Easy option located in a small box on the left of the Preset box Easy has only the COMPRESSION control based on input level signal with preset thresholds with automatic Post Gain adjustment against the five controls of Advanced option Inputs 5 6 and 7 8 The left part of the center column ...

Page 18: ...vation switch its status is displayed by a light which is lit when the unit is on IN DEPTH These channels let you use up to three cascaded effects types MOD Chorus Flanger or Tremolo FX Pitch Shifter and DEL Mono Vintage or ER Delay You can change the order of cascaded effects through the selector Order and view the result on the top right indicators These indicators show the ON OFF status an also...

Page 19: ...ument When in Hi Z mode the impedance is 1 Mohm When using active instruments we suggest to maintain the Hi Z option OFF These two channels offer additional capabilities to tailor your own sound as they both feature a 5 effect MultiFX Similarly to channels 5 to 8 the effects are displayed in pairs and you can jump to the desired insert effect by touching the dedicate button on top right see the re...

Page 20: ...er well known stomp boxes that have been used by guitar players for decades The AMP processor is a special one you can quickly select the amplifier type on its drop down menu and if you tap anywhere on the pedal you will be directed to the dedicated AMP page see below with several useful controls Let s see an example of the following effects order DEL FX MOD OD AMP The picture above shows the firs...

Page 21: ...F rocker switch represents the BYPASS switch and has same function as the switch on the stomp box view As visible on the left most Cabinets have similar names to the Head AMPs The last four Head AMPs and Cabinets are dedicated to bass guitar covering a wide range of resulting timbre In addition to the OverloudTM models two well known MarkBassTM models have been included You can also selet the micr...

Page 22: ...o Player from USB flash drive TK USB inputs are managed as a stereo input by default but you can always unlink them in SETTINGS GLOBAL page As the audio is directly generated in digital there is no need for PRE or DYNAMICS When you have a stereo track the typical use is in stereo linked mode If you have a mono backing track on one channel and the metronome click on the other then you may work in d...

Page 23: ...lizer types two options are available Advanced showing all the available parameters and Easy in which some of the more advanced controls are hidden to enable a quicker interaction In Standard mode the display shows the operation of the 4 band equalizer the overall intervention is indicated by a white line The Advanced option provides variable frequency shelving filters for low and high bands and t...

Page 24: ... fader thus allowing the channel level to affect FX send levels maintaining the desired balance AUX1 AUX4 sends are always pre fader thus allowing to set the required level independently from channel level settings this solution is ideal for stage monitoring AUX5 and AUX6 can be set pre or post fader independently for each input channel The central part of this page has 3 faders for FX sends and s...

Page 25: ...there is a box to choose the effect variation Only on the third device there is an additional central box to choose the effect type among Delay Chorus Flanger Tremolo and Pitch Shifter The large display shows parameter values and on the right there is the activation button for each effect IN DEPTH The Digital Reverb lets you choose between two large hall two medium hall two medium rooms two small ...

Page 26: ...th swing Feedback effect feedback Blend mix between dry signal and processed Tremolo parameters Rate frequency rate Depth depth swing Pitch Shift parameters Pitch 1 voice 1 note interval from 12 to 12 in semitones equivalent to 1 octave Pitch 2 voice 1 note interval from 12 to 12 in semitones equivalent to 1 octave Cent1 detune of voice 1 in cents Cent2 detune of voice 1 in cents Mix mix between v...

Page 27: ...individual fader in dB 2 and a Mute button 3 just above the fader there is a text field 4 which by default indicates the send number but of course can be renamed the fader 5 for master output level is above output number which corresponds to the physical AUX socket Pressing you recall the OUTPUTS EQ page containing the Advanced EQ for that AUX send the other controls are for level and mute The Adv...

Page 28: ...al column of the PHONES page includes a box indicating the level of the individual fader in dB or the pan pot position a small Mute button a text box which by default is the number of the send which can be renamed and a blue fader for headphone level and the non editable number of the hardware socket The level is pre fader In PFL pre fade listen mode the signal to the headphones is set by the PFL ...

Page 29: ...hannels are processed by a dedicated EQ of the same type as other input channels therefore three types are available Standard Vintage Smooth each with two modes Advanced and Easy On the right side of these controls there is a time indicator 1 by default it shows the remaining time to the end of file By clicking on the time indication you can toggle the value shown to represent the time elapsed A s...

Page 30: ...V extension AIFF stereo audio files 44 1 and 48 kHz 16 and 24 bit AIF and AIFF extensions MP3 stereo audio files MP3 extension REC The REC window allows high quality stereo recording of the MAIN left and right channels The tap point is after the Mastering processor and before the Graphic Equalizer which is generally used for settings that are a function of the available amplification system The cu...

Page 31: ...moved abruptly or M18 power is turned off does not result in a total loss of audio data Two time indications are shown the time since start of recording 5 and the remaining time 4 calculated on the available storage size A progress bar 7 shows the status compared to the remaining time defined as above While M18 is quite flexible in terms of USB storage device capabilities for playing back files a ...

Page 32: ...an 3 hours of continuous recording If this limit is exceeded the recorder closes the current file and creates another file with a minimal audio gap without interrupting the recording process We have found on several USB devices that it is recommended to have at least 50 free space on the USB key beyond this percentage most USB keys show significant fragmentation and in this case glitches can appea...

Page 33: ... INPUTS including the PLAYER and of three FX stereo returns RTNS The lower section shows the output levels of the three FX SENDS and the OUTS level of the six AUX sends This view is very useful to quickly check which signals are actually active and it is recommended to check this view every time you want to verify the mixer status ...

Page 34: ...pplies parameter changes smoothly to minimize audio artifacts Please note that in SETTINGS SYSTEM page you can select whether to include MFX patches recalls independently for each MFX When saving a Snapshot you have a further option you can enable the save of Mix Bus parameters see at page 11 This is useful when the M18 Digital Mixer is being used as a submixer in which case the channel levels are...

Page 35: ... By selecting the appropriate country where you are operating the mixer you can comply with local radio regulations Please notice that if you leave to the default value NONE transmitting power is limited and you will not obtain the best performance from the M 18 Digital Mixer including maximum distance and robustness to interference Band You can select between the usual 2 4 GHz band and the less c...

Page 36: ...l After the link all settings from the odd channel will be copied to the even channel and in the bottom row the numbers of paired inputs will show up e g 03 04 below a single fader with stereo VU meter The Link option is available for all inputs 1 to 18 plus the stereo player from USB flash drive By default the player is linked in stereo The Footswitch section controls allows you to determine the ...

Page 37: ...ad Pgm Change messages MFX1 11 Multieffect MFX1 assigned to either input ch 5 or 7 patch change Pgm change messages and individual effect toggle NOTE on MFX2 12 Multieffect MFX1 assigned to either input ch 5 or 7 patch change Pgm change messages and individual effect toggle NOTE on MFX3 13 Multieffect MFX3 assigned to input ch 9 patch change Pgm change messages and individual effect toggle NOTE on...

Page 38: ...suggest to keep it to the maximum value WARNING if disconnection is frequent please check the WLAN connection in SETTINGS tab NETWORK page On the right side we have the Application Version and the Firmware Version These information are followed by At startup behavior setting you can select between Init Mixer the mixer powers up in initialized state with all faders turned down and Last show at powe...

Page 39: ...lled 60dB gain range inputs Red LEDs indicate the Phantom power status ON or OFF for MIC input groups 1 to 4 and 5 to 8 To obtain best performances from your microphones use balanced XLR cables 2 MIC LINE Input 7 and 8 Combos Input 7 8 provide Mic input on the XLR connection and Line input on the TRS jack connection 3 MAIN OUTPUT L R Connect your active speaker or your amplifier to these 21dBu bal...

Page 40: ...ows connection of a single or double stage footswitch to recall effects presets or to mute effects returns as well as providing several other control functions 10 Internal access point reset pushbutton Press this button during normal operation for less than 10 seconds to restore the default settings for both the internal Wi Fi Access Point and the LAN port as follows LAN IP configuration Static IP...

Page 41: ...es the unit correctly powers up in any condition The white front LED gives indications about the startup process which is divided into several stages STAGE LED 1 startup Single flash 2 bootloader Fast blinking 3 OS starts Steady ON 4 M18 executable starts Slow blinking 5 Completed ready for use Steady ON It can happen that the internal files of the mixer are corrupted typically when a firmware upd...

Page 42: ...fault global configuration parameters will be copied and the unit will reboot automatically When the startup procedure is completed you can access the unit with the default global configuration parameters Please notice that all previously saved data shows snapshots patches will be maintained 3 If the unit is not reachable under any condition and there is no sound With the unit turned off press the...

Page 43: ...ink rapidly first then more rapidly when you release the button all configuration parameters of both WiFi Access Point and LAN port are restored to their default values The WiFi Access Point will be restarted without rebooting the mixer Please notice that all previously saved data shows snapshots patches will be maintained From the moment the button is released about 15 seconds are required to com...

Page 44: ...cut away some subsonic inaudible components of the sounds that often cause an efficiency loss of the power amplification system It s highly suggested to always use the HPF on all the input channels especially on mic inputs during live gigs where the HPF is a great tool to reduce the noises captured by the microphones by transmission as an example foot stomping or noises captured touching the mic s...

Page 45: ... type of Equalizer in the M series Digital Mixer Four bands ideal for every kind of correction but also perfect to tailor the sounds without colorations Vintage This Equalizer is modeled after the Classic British EQs It s the first choice when you are looking for an Equalizer with character and impact Smooth This is a really unique Equalizer The two Mid bands have been designed to shape gently the...

Page 46: ...o define the frequency range where it will stay in relation to the bass guitar Generally a good starting point for optimizing the low end range is to avoid boosting the same frequencies on both the instruments trying to create some relations between kick and bass where the kick wraps the bass and the opposite avoiding when possible to overlap frequency ranges SNARE EQ COMP HPF 50 250 Hz Body 150Hz...

Page 47: ...ramatically improve the efficiency of the Gate too HI HAT EQ COMP HPF 50 200 Hz Body 150Hz 250Hz Resonance Cut 250 600Hz Attack 4 8 KHz No Comp OVERHEAD EQ COMP HPF 100 Hz 1 KHz Body 150Hz 250Hz Resonance Cut 800Hz 2 KHz Air 10 12 KHz Attack Med Slow Release Med Fast Ratio 4 1 8 1 TIP The Overhead can be used in different ways The classic approach is to capture only the cymbals in this case it mak...

Page 48: ...of the kick drum as well to avoid overlap of the boost of some extra low frequencies Again the HPF is a great and simple tool to focus the low range Example If you bass sound has a big presence below the 50Hz maybe it could be a good idea to check how it sounds in the mix cutting the frequencies below 50 Hz on the kick drum KEYBOARDS The Equalizer is generally the most used processor on keyboards ...

Page 49: ...e Med Ratio 4 1 8 1 ACOUSTIC GUITARS Acoustic Guitars are usually amplified during live gigs through a pickup and only occasionally with mics The pickup sounds is often a bit harsh and it may be necessary to smooth it reducing some extra high frequencies and adding some warm with EQ and Compressor EQ COMP HPF OFF 120Hz Body 100Hz 200Hz Resonance Cut 150 400Hz Presence 900Hz 2 KHz Attack 2 4 KHz Ha...

Page 50: ...ilor the voice tone each one with its own unique character If you want to gently boost the voice sound making it more exciting the Smooth EQ is for sure the first choice if you want an aggressive in your face sound the Vintage EQ is the recommended selection and as always the Standard EQ is the perfect all purpose choice EQ COMP HPF OFF 120Hz Body 100Hz 200Hz Resonance Cut 150Hz 300Hz Presence 2KH...

Page 51: ...RCF spa M 18 Digital Mixer User s Manual 51 A1 Block Diagram INPUT PROCESSING DETAIL ...

Page 52: ...RCF spa M 18 Digital Mixer User s Manual 52 SOLO PM details OUTPUT SECTION details ...

Page 53: ... Change 8 AUX6 LEVEL YES YES Note On 18 PLAYER PREV YES Note On 19 PLAYER NEXT YES Note On 21 PLAYER STOP YES Note On 22 PLAYER PLAY YES PROGRAM CHANGE 1 100 SNAPSHOT LOAD YES BANK SELECT CC32 0 1 SNAPSHOT BANK YES ON MFXn CHANNELS Defaults MFX1 Ch 11 disabled MFX2 Ch 12 disabled MFX3 Ch 13 disabled MFX4 Ch 14 disabled MIDI message Number Assigned to Transmitted Recognized Note On 32 DEL ON OFF TO...

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