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Townsend Labs Sphere L22 Precision Microphone System Guide

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Chapter 3: Townsend Labs Sphere Plug-ins

The Townsend Labs Sphere plug-ins are a key part of the Sphere microphone system. The Sphere
microphone system can record in stereo or mono. Use the

Townsend Labs Sphere

plug-in for mono re-

cording and the

Townsend Labs Sphere 180

plug-in for stereo. The

Townsend Labs Sphere

(with

DUAL

mode

enabled only) and

Townsend Labs Sphere 180

plug-ins both contain two mic models that can be blended

together as if recording with two mics. The

Townsend Labs Sphere 180

plug-in outputs each mic model

on a separate channel, which lets you create stereo recordings.

MIC 1

and

MIC 2

each have their own mic model (labeled

MIC L

and

MIC R

in the Sphere 180 stereo plug-

in),

PATTERN

,

FILTER

,

AXIS

, and

SOLO

controls. The other controls apply to both mics. Each control is

discussed in detail below.

Figure 3-1

Sphere 180 plug-in screen

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Summary of Contents for Sphere L22

Page 1: ...Precision Microphone System Hardware and Software Guide Version 161003 ...

Page 2: ......

Page 3: ...tiation 11 Instantiation in a DAW 11 Instantiation in the Apollo Console 12 Preamp Calibration 13 Attenuation Switch 13 Analog Preamp with Continuous Gain Adjustment 14 Hardware 15 Mono stereo Usage 15 Shockmount 15 Storage 15 Phantom Power 15 Chapter 3 Townsend Labs Sphere Plug ins 16 Microphone Type 17 Pattern 18 Filter 18 Axis 19 Proximity Effect 19 Proximity 19 Prox EQ 19 Align Sphere plug in ...

Page 4: ...ff Axis Correction 21 Off Axis Correction Enable 21 Off Axis Correction Pattern 21 On and Off Axis Distance 22 On and Off Axis Distance Auto 22 Output 22 Output Level 22 Output Phase 22 Reverse 22 Import 22 Input Output Meter 22 Polar Meter 23 Polar Meter Zoom 24 Link 24 Setup 25 Rear Trim 25 Swap 25 Auto Cal 25 Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts 25 Mac 25 Windows 25 ...

Page 5: ...in 29 Monitoring with the UAD Plug in on Apollo 30 Monitoring the Direct Analog Microphone Output 31 Microphone Positioning 31 Chapter 5 Off Axis Correction 33 Technical Details 33 Proximity Effect 35 Setting the Controls 36 Rear Miking 37 Additional Applications 37 Chapter 6 Recording Vocals 38 Professional Studio 38 Proximity Effect 38 Axis 38 The Room 39 Home and Project Studios 39 Off Axis Cor...

Page 6: ...ith Vocals 43 Two Mics 43 One Mic 44 Stereo Guitar 45 One Mic 45 Two Mics 46 Chapter 8 Stereo Recording 49 Single Microphone 49 Two Microphones 50 Off Axis Correction 50 Proximity Effect 51 Appendix A Troubleshooting 52 Appendix B Sphere L22 Specifications 53 Appendix C Installed Locations 54 Windows 54 Mac 54 ...

Page 7: ...wnsend Labs Sphere DSP plug in reconstruct how different mics respond to the soundfield Feature Summary The Sphere L22 Precision Microphone System goes beyond pure mic modeling and many of its capabilities have never been possible with previous mic modeling technologies Three dimensional Modeling Accurately models a wide range of mics including complex 3D polar response transient response and prox...

Page 8: ...e vintage mics 48 V Phantom Uses standard 48 V phantom power Summary of Key Concepts The following concepts are so important in understanding the new capabilities offered by the Sphere L22 that we are including them here in the introduction even though they are repeated elsewhere in this user guide If you do not read anything else in this guide please read this Sphere L22 is a dual output mic that...

Page 9: ... following plug in formats are supported UAD AAX Native VST2 VST3 Audio Units Mac only The following operating systems are supported Native AAX VST and AU Mac OSX 10 8 5 and above Windows 7 and above Apollo Interfaces and UAD 2 hardware AAX VST AU and RTAS See http uaudio com downloads for current info Your computer must meet the following system requirements Native AAX VST and AU installation req...

Page 10: ...cable This automatically keeps both preamp channels set to the same level when either is adjusted 5 Disable any filters pads EQ or other processing on your preamp 6 Enable 48 V phantom power P48 on both channels of the preamp Two LEDs light inside the headbasket to indicate that phantom power is applied to both mic channels Figure 2 1 Connecting Sphere mic to the preamp If your mic preamp has digi...

Page 11: ...espond to the front and rear capsules respectively When speaking into the front capsule and monitoring the track you should hear and see on the meter significantly more level from the left channel If that is not the case swap the inputs on the mic preamp Figure 2 2 Sphere plug in screen The Sphere plug in is selected from different categories for each DAW and may vary depending on user selected DA...

Page 12: ...hat the chan nels are linked and 48 V phantom power is enabled 2 Select the Townsend Labs Sphere plug in as the first channel insert see Figure 2 3 left Console allows you to choose whether to monitor or record the Sphere plug in output Figure 2 3 Apollo strip with Sphere as first channel insert 48V active left UAD REC button active right 3 Click the UAD REC button to commit the selected microphon...

Page 13: ...p 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 headro...

Page 14: ...re level on the MIC 1 channel If that is not the case swap the inputs on the mic preamp 4 Set the preamp s MIC 1 channel gain to an appropriate level for your intended sound source 5 Set the CAL ON switch to the CAL position see Figure 2 4 on the mic The LEDs flash slowly in calibration mode and the mic now outputs the same signal on both channels Figure 2 4 Sphere mic with CAL ON switch 6 Click t...

Page 15: ...onse the frequency response of the Sphere microphone extends below 20 Hz This makes the microphone sensitive to low frequency interference such as floor vibration When possible we recommend using the supplied elastic suspension shockmount to mitigate unwanted low frequency pickup Storage When the mic will not be used for a prolonged period it is important to store it in the supplied dust cover and...

Page 16: ... Townsend Labs Sphere with DUAL mode enabled only and Townsend Labs Sphere 180 plug ins both contain two mic models that can be blended together as if recording with two mics The Townsend Labs Sphere 180 plug in outputs each mic model on a separate channel which lets you create stereo recordings MIC 1 and MIC 2 each have their own mic model labeled MIC L and MIC R in the Sphere 180 stereo plug in ...

Page 17: ...e automation control list displays the mic type of each microphone as MIC1 TYPE and MIC2 TYPE To select a different microphone type do any of the following Click on the mic name and choose a new mic from the list Click on the mic image to display the next mic type Right click or ctrl click on the mic image to display the previous mic type After clicking on the mic image or type the application foc...

Page 18: ...N setting for each microphone as MIC1 PATTERN and MIC2 PATTERN Available patterns are Omni Sub Omni Wide Cardioid Subcardioid Cardioid Supercardioid Hypercardioid Sub 8 Figure 8 Filter This parameter lets you adjust the mic model s filter type Each mic model has three filter types even if the original microphone has fewer or no filter options The filter types vary according to those supplied with ...

Page 19: ...re useful to keep the polar pattern constant while shifting just the tonality of the mic AXIS is one of the Sphere controls that let you create hybrid mics that do not exist in reality NOTE Setting AXIS above 45º often produces undesirable results as might occur when orienting a physical microphone too far off axis Proximity Effect Proximity The bass response of all directional mics increases as t...

Page 20: ... relative phase as if MIC 2 is 1 cm closer to the source than MIC 1 NOTE Since ALIGN adjusts the relative phase between mic models it has no effect unless two mics are used Stereo Width Sphere 180 plug in only NOTE This parameter is labeled ALIGN in the Sphere plug in This parameter lets you adjust the stereo width 100 Preserves the original stereo width of the selected mic models 0 Reduces the wi...

Page 21: ...lems sometimes dramat ically while still maintaining the on axis frequency response characteristics The direct sound is not affected TIP You can apply a different polar pattern to an existing mic For example replace the figure 8 pattern of a 4038 Ribbon with a cardioid to create a mic that does not exist in the real world Off Axis Correction Enable This parameter activates the OFF AXIS CORRECTION ...

Page 22: ...i cally correct the low frequency response However this tends to yield a less than ideal polar response so usually we recommend setting it to OFF TIP AUTO can work well when the source is moving or there are multiple sources at different distances Output Output Level This lets you cut boost the master output level up to 12 dB Output Phase This lets you reverse the phase of the output which can be ...

Page 23: ...y lining up the area of most rejection to cover as much of the yellow shape as possible Figure 3 4 Polar Meter showing source at 135 off axis The Polar Meter cannot differentiate between sound coming from the left right up or down In this example sound coming from 135 to the right is displayed as coming from both 135 to left and 135 to the right This interpolation is accurate because most micropho...

Page 24: ...ant environment The mono Sphere plug in shows the combined polar response of Mics 1 and 2 For example If the MIX control is set to 50 the response will be an equal combination of Mics 1 and 2 At 0 the response is fully Mic 1 At 100 the response is fully Mic 2 NOTE If OFF AXIS CORRECTION is enabled that overrides the selected mic model s patterns Polar Meter Zoom Click on the text to zoom the polar...

Page 25: ...e input levels This is achieved by adjusting the rear trim control to compensate for gain differences between the front and rear channels When using Auto Cal you must input the same signal to both the front and back mic preamp channels which is accomplished by enabling the CAL switch on the Sphere mic body See Preamp Calibration on page 13 for more infor mation Keyboard and Mouse Shortcuts The fol...

Page 26: ...board gear should occur after the Sphere plug in Figure 4 1 Sphere signal chain with mono output plug in The Townsend Labs Sphere plug in outputs in mono just like a conventional mic However the Townsend Labs Sphere 180 plug in routes the left and right mic models to the left and right outputs respectively Make sure to satisfy the following conditions Both mic preamp channels must be set to the sa...

Page 27: ...itches and EQ Some analog stepped gain preamps also have a continuous fine adjustment knob which must be set properly Usually the maximum or middle position works best to easily match levels between channels We recommend running a calibration procedure with the Sphere mic especially if the preamp has a fine adjust knob to verify that the levels are properly matched NOTE To help determine which pre...

Page 28: ...cluding Apollo 16 Apogee interfaces such as the Quartet Ensemble and Symphony MOTU interfaces such as the 4pre 1248 and 8M RME interfaces such as the Fireface UFX and Babyface Presonus interfaces such as the Studio 192 and Digimax DP88 Roland interfaces such as the Quad Capture and Octa Capture Avid PRE and HD Omni Focusrite interfaces such as the Forte and Red 4Pre with Air mode disabled Antelope...

Page 29: ...d Monitoring Setups There are three recommended workflows for monitoring Sphere which include monitoring the plug in output using your DAW monitoring with the Apollo Console and monitoring the direct microphone output Live monitoring of the Sphere mic can be done in your DAW from the Sphere plug in output This can be preferable if you normally use your DAW UAD VST AU AAX Native to manage monitorin...

Page 30: ...cted to the mic and enable Stereo Link mode This links the two channels into one stereo channel 3 Instantiate the Townsend Labs Sphere plug in on the first insert of this stereo channel 4 Set the channel output to the appropriate monitor destination 5 Activate UAD MON to just monitor UAD effects or UAD REC to record and monitor UAD effects Figure 4 2 Sphere signal chain using the Apollo Console fo...

Page 31: ...o route the front mic channel to your headphones or other monitor destination See your audio interface s user manual for more information about how to create monitoring paths Microphone Positioning To get comparable results with a conventional microphone it is essential that you properly position the Sphere mic Even a few millimeters difference in mic position can have a significant effect on the ...

Page 32: ...Lining up capsule centers for Sphere and Neumann U67 U87 left and AKG C414 right It s important to remember that the capsule must be aligned in all three dimensions as well as rota tionally Townsend Labs uses multiple self leveling alignment lasers to ensure mic alignment When exact positioning is the goal we recommend using the hard mount instead of the shock mount to keep the mic from moving Fig...

Page 33: ...ges such as bleed room coloration and feedback Off Axis Correction can reduce these problems sometimes dramatically The correction is applied without changing the mic model s on axis frequency response so the direct sound is still picked up as intended Technical Details This section provides a brief technical explanation of Off Axis Correction which can help you understand how to best use it If yo...

Page 34: ...he U87ai s audio from 180 off axis sounds very colored while the Sphere produces a smoother sound comprised mostly of natural room ambience Figure 5 2 U87ai Cardioid 180 off axis vs Sphere Off Axis Correction Another potential issue is that the on axis frequency response of virtually all multi pattern mics also changes dramatically when adjusting the polar pattern This can be a problem when you ha...

Page 35: ...owards a figure 8 pattern close to the mic and omnidirectional farther away Only at some distance in between will the mic have a cardioid response This distance typically 0 5 1 0 m depends on the capsule design To further illustrate the differences in low frequency response a typical small single diaphragm cardioid condenser mic tends to have a figure 8 pattern close to the mic 10 cm cardioid at f...

Page 36: ...f the mic will have traveled further after reflecting off walls ceiling and floor The distance can be estimated by calculating the path length of the first reflection although there is usually no need to be exact It normally works well to set the controls approximately and then dial them in by ear The actual distance value assumes the sound originates from an infinitely small sound source When the...

Page 37: ...und might not be so great Cardioid mics tend to have the most rear coloration Using some flavor of sub or wide cardioid tends be less colored but off axis coloration can still be a significant problem for this type of application Because Off Axis Correction produces a response with significantly less off axis coloration it is much more practical to use these rear miking techniques It is not even n...

Page 38: ... more intimate warm sound and further back for a brighter more diffuse sound Sphere technology also offers tremendous flexibility after tracking such as selecting from a wide range of mic models and polar patterns Proximity Effect If a mic model does not have the desired amount of proximity effect Sphere technology allows you to change it The PROXIMITY control is not simply an EQ but actually chan...

Page 39: ...patterns for virtually all conventional cardioid mics vary substantially with frequency A typical large diaphragm condenser mic might be cardioid in the range 1 2 kHz omnidirectional below 150 Hz and figure 8 or other non cardioid patterns at higher frequencies These variations from an accurate cardioid response are important factors that characterize the sound of each mic and even the best have s...

Page 40: ...th worlds Acoustic Treatment Hypercardioid mics have a rear lobe in their reception pattern that picks up some sound from directly behind the mic which may include some room reflections However this lobe is usually small enough that placing acoustical material behind the mic i e a GOBO or reflection filter can minimize it without having to treat the entire room OFF AXIS CORRECTION also allows you ...

Page 41: ... 3 Enable OFF AXIS CORRECTION by clicking the OUT field so it reads IN 4 Set the PATTERN to hypercardioid Figure 6 1 OFF AXIS CORRECTION pattern values 5 Set the on axis distance ON DIST to the distance between the mic and vocalist 6 Set the off axis distance OFF DIST to the approximate distance between the mic and the walls of the room If in doubt 1 m is a good choice 7 Place a GOBO or reflection...

Page 42: ...ibility in mic placement The Proximity control adjusts the amount of proximity effect in a different way than just applying EQ In fact this control changes the polar pattern of the mic at low frequencies simulating what would happen if the capsule was physically modified to have a different amount of proximity effect Even though Sphere technology lets you adjust a wide range of parameters after re...

Page 43: ...itar track also applies that EQ to the bleed from the vocal and vice versa Therefore it s often not possible to find EQ settings that work well for both the vocal and the guitar Compression generally increases the level of the bleed relative to the primary source which can also exacerbate phase issues Cardioid mics are often used in this application for their directionality but bleed can still be ...

Page 44: ...RECTION pattern control to figure 8 The goal is not to create an equivalent mic but rather a hybrid specifically optimized for the current application One Mic If you don t have two Sphere mics you can still approximate the two mic setup by using the front side for vocals and the rear side for guitar see Figure 7 2 1 In your DAW instantiate the Sphere 180 plug in on a stereo track 2 Assign the left...

Page 45: ...at can occur with non coincident stereo mic placement Although coincident mic techniques tend to produce a narrower stereo image than some others the Sphere s back to back capsule configuration produces the widest stereo spread of any coincident setup and is comparable in width to spaced pairs We recommend using a cardioid or supercardioid pattern for both outputs with supercardioid producing a wi...

Page 46: ...ll be a large timbral imbalance between channels With conventional mics this is sometimes handled by choosing a small condenser for the bridge that is bass light and a ribbon for the neck that is bass heavy The Sphere 180 plug in lets you select different mic models for each output so this effect can be achieved with just one physical mic Two Mics With two Sphere microphones you can use any standa...

Page 47: ...ttern controls from cardioid to figure 8 You can also select a sub cardioid pattern for a narrower stereo image or hypercardioid for a wider image without picking up as much room sound from behind the mics Figure 7 6 Recording acoustic guitar in stereo using Blumlein technique Another common miking technique for acoustic guitar is the spaced pair Start with one mic near the bridge and the other at...

Page 48: ...ance between mics to at least three times the distance from each mic to the guitar TIP To verify that phase issues have not become a problem sum the left and right channels to mono and listen for comb filtering or other artifacts This just scratches the surface of how to best record acoustic guitar with a Sphere mic For more a more in depth look at this topic see the following excellent Sound On S...

Page 49: ...ht diaphragms are coincident perfect phase coherency is always maintained even when the channels are summed to mono For a coincident mic technique this produces the widest stereo spread possible but will likely leave a hole in the center of the stereo field This occurs because the center of the stereo field corresponds to 90 off axis from each capsule which is where the high frequency response is ...

Page 50: ...ncy fundamentals will be perceived more towards the center than the high frequency harmonics Instead of occupying one point in the stereo field this single instrument will be spread out This change in polar pattern also depends on distance to the source which is due to the well known proximity effect In fact at low frequencies it is only possible to maintain a cardioid polar pattern at one specifi...

Page 51: ...echnology lets the user directly adjust the amount of proximity effect so the bass response can be flat or even boosted at farther distances In the Sphere plug in turn the PROXIMITY knob in the positive direction This can create a much fuller sounding recording When using conventional mics one approach is to add spot mics for low frequency sources such as a kick drum This can work well but there i...

Page 52: ...s Output level of Sphere plug in is too high causing clipping of the A D converters Lower the plug in output level until the distortion disappears Mic modeling from plug in output does not sound normal Only one channel of the microphone is connected powered and routed to the plug in The Input meter at the bottom of the plug in shows audio level to both channels The top and bottom of the meter show...

Page 53: ... 20 dB Sensitivity 22 mV Pa Output Connector 5 pin XLR male Breakout Cable 10 ft 5 pin XLR female to dual 3 pin XLR female Output Impedance 200 Recommended Load Impedance 1000 Phantom Power Voltage 44 52 V per channel Current 5 mA per channel typical 8 mA per channel max SPL Sphere DSP Plug In Supported Formats UAD AAX Native VST2 VST3 Audio Units Mac only Supported Operating Systems Mac OSX 10 8 ...

Page 54: ...Files Steinberg VstPlugins 32 bit VST plug ins directory C Program Files x86 Steinberg VstPlugins VST3 plug ins directory C Program Files Common Files VST3 VST3 x86 plug ins directory C Program Files x86 Common Files VST3 AAX 64 plug ins directory C Program Files Common Files Avid Plug Ins AAX 32 plug ins directory C Program Files x86 Common Files Avid Plug Ins Mac Macintosh HD Applications Townse...

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