Townsend Labs Sphere L22 Precision Microphone System Guide
Installation and Configuration
13
Although we generally recommend placing the Sphere plug-in first in the effects signal chain, good
results can be achieved with the Unison plug-in in a Unison insert slot ahead of Sphere. You must ap-
ply identical settings to both channels and avoid overloading the preamp modeling. On the other hand,
to use a preamp modeling plug-in to add obvious saturation, we recommend moving the preamp plug-
in out of the Unison insert and placing it after the Sphere plug-in. See
DAW Signal Chain
on page 26
for details.
Preamp Calibration
This section shows how to calibrate an analog preamp with continuous gain adjustment. If your pre-
amp has stepped gain control, you may skip this section as there is no need to calibrate your Sphere
system.
Attenuation Switch
Before calibrating the preamp, you should determine if engaging the pad switch is necessary. The at-
tenuation switch on the Sphere mic increases the available headroom so the mic can handle higher
SPLs without clipping or distortion. The attenuation switch should typically be set to 0 dB for most
sources, which can handle SPLs in excess of 120 dB. With the switch set to -10 dB, the mic can handle
more than 130 dB SPL, and up to 140 dB SPL with the -20 dB setting. The attenuation switch is nor-
mally activated when close miking a loud source, such as a guitar amp or drum kit.
