User Guide
12
Sound Devices, LLC
Input and Output Monitoring
The Input and Output monitor offers listening and
metering of selected audio signals. Monitoring either
inputs or outputs, in either single channel (monaural)
or dual channel (stereo) is available. A recessable
push-type front panel control adjusts the level of the
headphone outputs.
For convenience both a front panel and a back panel
headphone jack are provided. The jacks are 1/4-inch
tip-ring-sleeve type; left channel = tip, the right channel
= ring, and common for both channels = sleeve.
The headphone output can drive both headphones and
unbalanced line-level stereo inputs, such as powered
loudspeakers.
Note: The MD-4 is capable of driving
headphones to high levels. Long term
exposure to high sound pressure levels can
result in hearing damage.
Metering
Two 8-segment LED meters display the level of the
selected signal or signals monitored. The meters are
calibrated in dBFS, directly reflecting the signal level
in the Dante transmitter (output) and receiver (input)
paths.
Phones / Monitor Output
The same signal is routed to both the front and the back
headphone output jacks. The jack on the back panel is
only active when nothing is plugged into the jack on the
front panel. When a connector is inserted into the front
panel the back panel headphone jack is muted. This
mute function is useful when the back panel head-
phone output is connected to loudspeaker systems.
Automatic muting of the loudspeakers can be essential
for on-air applications.
Selecting Monitor Sources
The Source Select buttons controls the signal sent
to headphones. Sources can be selected as either
single-channel (mono) or dual-channel (stereo). In the
mono mode each input channel and each output chan-
nel is individually monitored.
Pressing the up and down buttons selects between
individual channels. In the stereo mode channels are
selected in pairs.
These pairs consist of:
• inputs 1 and 2,
• inputs 3 and 4,
• outputs 1 and 2,
• outputs 3 and 4.
Simultaneously pressing both the up and down buttons
in the monitor section alternates (“toggles”) between
mono and stereo monitor modes.
When using the up and down buttons to change moni-
toring source(s) a brief delay is present before the new
source(s) becomes active. This allows a user to “hop
over” sources not intended to be selected. This prevents
momentary “bursts” of audio from monitor sources that
were not actually desired.
Mono / Stereo Metering
When in the mono monitoring mode the level of the
selected source is displayed on the left level meter
while the signal is routed to both the left and right
headphone outputs, providing a dual-channel mono
headphone listening experience. When in the stereo
monitor mode the level of source selected for the left
channel is displayed on the left meter and the level of
the right channel source is displayed on the right meter.
The rotary control will impact the level of both head-
phone output channels.
