The SoundField SPS422B
Issue 1.7
User Guide
Page 5
A separate headphone output is provided to accommodate situations where direct monitoring of the
SPS422B’s stereo output is required during setting up.
WARNING
: The SPS422B microphone is not compatible with the SoundField ST250 control unit
and vice versa. SoundField Ltd will not accept any responsibility for damage caused by the
interconnection of these units.
USING THE SPS422B
It is recommended that you read this section at least once to fully appreciate the potential of the
SPS422B. However, if you want to try the microphone right away, refer to the QUICK START
GUIDE on the following page.
The SPS422B may be used in any application where a very high quality mono, stereo or surround
recording is required and the stereo output format may be selected as either conventional LEFT/
RIGHT or as M/S; M/S mode will require the signals to be decoded using a suitable matrixing
system; see the M/S section of this manual. For surround applications the B-Format outputs should
be recorded on four tracks or connected directly to the B-Format outputs of the SP451 Surround
Processor. For mono applications, the
Width
control should be set to its mono (fully
anticlockwise) position.
BEFORE USE
It is essential that the microphone be powered up a few minutes before use to allow the capsule
charging process to stabilise. If the microphone has been used recently, the time taken to stabilise
may be only a few seconds, but turning the microphone on five minutes or so before it is needed is
a good habit to acquire.
In conditions where condensation is likely to be a problem, for example, when bringing the
microphone from a cold vehicle to a warm venue, it is advisable to leave the microphone switched
on for up to half an hour before use so that the internal heating system can clear the capsules of all
condensation.
Though the circuitry generates an extremely low level of noise, the laws of physics dictate that the
actual noise performance will vary slightly depending on what pattern and width settings are used.
The lowest level of noise occurs when the SPS422B is set up for mono, omni operation but the
noise level is exceptionally low in all modes of operation.
USE OF HEADPHONES
The headphone output is provided only for confidence monitoring - it is not intended for qualitative
monitoring work and is only suitable for high impedance phones of 400 Ohms or above.
