The boom remote offers a control range of approximately 25dB. Caution must be
observed before removing the remote control as high audio levels may occur should the
channel fader be anywhere near maximum level.
Viewing meter levels on the AlphaMix is very easy due to
the large LCD meter readout. PSC has designed these
peak-reading meters
to emulate those of the Betacam.
The LCD meter provides additional information such as
Left and Right Limiter functions, battery life and Low
Battery Warning. The operator has approximately 15 – 30
minutes of remaining battery life when the “Low Bat”
indicator illuminates. In poor visibility and night viewing
situations meter lamps are available. PSC chose a woven
fiber optic light transmission panel with a high performance “green” LED as a light
source rather than an electro-luminescent system. The combined approaches yield
quality backlighting without introducing noise. To activate the lamps there is a toggle
switch located below the bottom right corner of the meter.
Directly below the meters you will find the
Slate Microphone (SLATE MIC)
button.
When this momentary push button is depressed the slate microphone is activated. The
electrete variable gain microphone is located just to the left of the button. A really nice
function of this switch is that it automatically mutes the input channels. This eliminates
the need to pot down the input channels in order to eliminate unwanted audio. The
hidden benefit is that potting down the inputs effectively destroys any mix the operator
may have previously established. Such practice will waste valuable time and render
continuity virtually impossible. A trim pot is located on the bottom panel for level
adjustment of the Slate Mic.
To the right of the Slate Mic is the
Tone Oscillator (TONE OSC)
. PSC chose a
reference frequency of 440Hz rather than the more common 1kHz. The rationale
behind this was that the 1kHz tone was particularly harsh to the ears. More often than
not, tone is turned on while someone is auditioning the mixer. While this is probably
unintentional it can be very irritating to be hit with a 1kHz tone at 0dB. Since all that is
required to calibrate the various metering systems in the chain is a pure tone, the
frequency is not particularly relevant. A trim pot is located on the bottom panel for level
adjustment of the tone oscillator.
Next in line with the Tone Osc is the
Battery Test
(BATT TEST)
button. Depressing
this momentary button causes the top (left) meter to display the remaining life
expectancy of the battery. The length of the bar is directly proportional to the life of the
battery. A full bar would indicate a full battery, a half-bar suggests a half-full battery and
so forth. NP-1 batteries are available in a number of formats
8
. Therein, PSC has
installed a selector on the bottom panel of the AlphaMix that will adjust the function of
the battery test feature specific to the NP-1 type.
8
Ni-Cad, Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium-Ion.
