PowerMate 600
QUICKSTART
GB
1.
Use appropriate speaker pole-stands to mount the loudspeaker systems on
the left and right side. The height in which the speakers are mounted should
be clearly “above the audience”. This ensures that the volume in the front is
not too loud, while still achieving sufficient intelligibility in the back.
2.
Turn the loudspeaker systems slightly towards “the center”. This enables the
performing artists to monitor their performance even without separate stage
monitors.
3.
Microphones should not be positioned directly in front of the sound reinforce-
ment system’s loudspeaker cabinets. Otherwise, unwanted feedback could
occur; when the amplified sound coming from a speaker is directly fed back to
the microphone.
4.
Make sure to set all rotary controls on the PowerMate 600 to their center
(12 o’clock) position.
5.
Make sure to set all faders in the console’s lower area to their minimum
position.
6.
Make sure to set all the graphic EQ’s smaller faders (top right) to their center
position.
7.
When connecting the loudspeaker systems to the power outputs that are
located on the rear panel of the PowerMate 600, be sure to use Speakon®
cables. When establishing the connection, make sure to hear the Speakon®
connectors click into place. Otherwise no secure connection is achieved.
8.
Start with connecting a single microphone to Input 1. Use only heavy duty,
highly flexible microphone cables. Thin and inflexible cables – although
cheaper – lead to accidents on the stage and are mostly the reason for
constant annoyance during setting up of the equipment.
9.
Switch the mains supply of the PowerMate 600 on, using the Power-On switch
on the rear of the appliance. It is possible to employ dynamic as well as
condenser type microphones. Phantom power is automatically supplied to all
microphone inputs which makes additional batteries for the operation of
condenser microphones dispensable. During the system starts the FX unit 1
is pre-set to the Reverberation effect No. 5 and the FX unit 2 is pre-set to the
Echo effect No. 55.
10.
In case the red “StandBy” indicator on the right bottom lights, press the
Stand-By switch to activate the appliance.
11.
Test the microphone by speaking some loud words while holding it close to
your mouth. The green signal present indicator (LED) of channel 1 will light.
Turn the “Gain Control” of channel 1 – the control all the way on the top of the
channel’s module – to the right until the red peak LED briefly blinks. Turning
the Gain Control back a little bit to the left sets the optimal signal level for this
channel.
12.
Set the fader of channel 1 to the 0 dB mark in the upper third of the fader
path.
13.
Press the FX1 On and the FX2 On buttons on the right bottom, above the blue
faders.
14.
Position the FX1 and FX2 faders at the “–10 dB mark”.
15.
Increase the output level by carefully pushing up the master output controls
(right bottom), while at the same time speaking into the microphone. Your
voice is reproduced through the loudspeakers, being enhanced by a echo
and reverberation effect. You can change the intensity of either one effect,
according to the desired amount, by re-adjusting the FX1 and FX2 faders. You
are also able to change the reverberation intensity or the delay time by
pressing the Up/Down buttons below the display to select another effect.
Within one group of effects the intensity and depths/delay increases with the
increasing preset numbers. Individual settings for each input channel are
achieved through the use of their separate FX controls.
16.
Once you have followed all instructions mentioned so far, your sound system
should function without problem and sound decent, without the need for
further adjustment.
17.
In case the sound does not fulfill your expectations, it is because of the quality
of the employed loudspeakers or microphones. How to find out, if the
speakers or the microphones are the cause for the degraded overall sound?
18.
Connect a CD Player to the 2Track Input (RCA type jacks on the right top of
the front panel). Play some tracks of different CDs. If the sound is natural
and clear, your loudspeaker systems do not cause the trouble, but the
connected microphone. In case the sound is still either damped, screeching
or nasaling, test the PowerMate with another speaker model.
19.
When testing the equipment, trust mainly your own pair of ears and not just
an analyzer – no matter if it is a cheaper or an expensive model. Adjusting
sound reinforcement installations with analyzing equipment is not only
extremely complicated and time consuming, in most cases actual acoustical
results are far from being satisfactory, since normal measuring and analyzing
equipment is not capable of computing all the necessary parameters at the
same time. The human ear on the contrary does it all in real-time and without
additional expenses.
20. Now, feel free to test the effect that the sound shaping controls of each
channel provide you with. Turn the bass and the treble controls carefully and
listen to the changing sound. While the bass control changes “resonance” and
“body” of the human voice, the treble control alters its “vivid character” and
“intelligibility”. Normally, only minor adjustments are necessary to match the
individual personal taste.
21. Mid controls are provided between the bass and treble controls of the
microphone channels. The mid-EQ controls are useful to provide more
“presence” to the voice of the lead singer. But be extremely careful. A wrong
setting results mostly in a dramatically “bad” sound. Try to experiment with
this control to get a feeling for the way it lets you influence the sound.
22. The master channels embody a graphic equalizer to match the overall sound
to varying locations. Normally, minor changes in the setting will provide you
with the intended improvement. Extreme positioning of the EQ-faders mostly
results in a degradation of the overall sound.
23. A note on the microphone selection. Vocals are best picked up, using dynamic
microphones with cardioid polar pattern. These models provide a high
proximity effect and good off-axis rejection. Additionally, they are relatively
insensitive to popping sounds and feedback. On the other hand, when
recording acoustical instruments, such as an acoustic guitar or for the
overhead pick-up of a drum-set, vocal microphones are the wrong choice.
Here, only condenser type microphones will provide a useful solution. This
means, you need at least two different microphone models when recording
the performance of a band, including vocals, horns and drums. The only way
to find the right choice of microphones is testing, since the degradation in
sound, resulting from a wrongly chosen microphone can not be compensated
on the mixer.
24. Finally, a word on incorporating external third-octave or octave equalizers.
They are mainly used in major sound reinforcement installations to
compensate for acoustical problems within multiple speaker systems or to
eliminate acoustical feedback. Adjusting these equalizers is not only a very
complex matter but also extremely time consuming and the overall sound
improvement is mostly minimal. If a system does not sound right, testing
different loudspeaker systems and microphone models, until a proper
sounding combination is found, will provide you on the long run with more
satisfaction. On the contrary, if external sound shaping equipment is used,
the risk of faulty adjustment causing overall sound degradation is by far
greater than the chance for improvement.
