ANTARES AMM-1 User Guide

©2000 Antares Audio Technologies. All rights reserved.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

All names of microphone manufacturers and microphone model designations
appearing in this manual are used solely to identify the microphones analysed in
the development of our digital models and do not in any way imply any association
with or endorsement by any of the named manufacturers.

Antares Audio Technologies
231 Technology Circle
Scotts Valley, California 95066 USA

voice: [phone]
email: [e-mail]
web: www.antarestech.com

Printed in USA Rev 1.1-11/2000

Contents

Welcome 5

Technical Support 6

Introducing the AMM-1 Chapter 1

Overview 7
About the Technology 8
So What Exactly Does It Do? 8

Setting Up Chapter 2 9

Panel Controls and Chapter 3
Connectors

The Front Panel 10
The Back Panel 13

Operation Chapter 4

Live or Mixdown? 14
Signal Flow 14
Controls 15

Input Section 15
Source Mic Section 16
Modeled Mic Section 21
Preserve Source 25
Tube Saturation 26
Bypass 27
Output Level 28
System Edit 28

The Microphone Models Chapter 5

Adding New Mic Models 33

Realistic Expectations Chapter 6 36

Get Creative Chapter 7 40

Appendix 41

Acknowledgments 47

AMM-1 Specifications 48

Index 49

Welcome!

On behalf of everyone at Antares Audio Technologies, we’d like to
offer both our thanks and congratulations on your decision to
purchase the AMM-1 Microphone Modeler.

Before you proceed any farther, we’d like to strongly encourage you
to fill out and return the AMM-1 registration card. To make it as
easy as possible, we’ve included a sticker with your serial number
already attached to the card. It’s probably a good idea also to write
it in your manual for future reference.

As an AMM-1 owner, you are entitled to receive notification of any
software upgrades, technical support, and advance announcements
of upcoming products. But we can’t send you stuff unless we know
who and where you are. So please, send that card in.

At Antares, we are committed to excellence in quality, customer
service, and technological innovation. With your purchase of the
AMM-1, you have created a relationship with Antares which we
hope will be long and gratifying. Let us know what you think.
You can count on us to listen.

Again, thanks.
The Whole Antares Crew

5

Technical Support

In the unlikely event that you experience a problem using your
AMM-1, try the following:

1. Make another quick scan through this manual. Who knows? You
may have stumbled onto some feature that you didn’t notice the
first time through.

2. Check our web page for tips, techniques, or any late-breaking
information: www.antarestech.com

3. Call your local Antares dealer.

4. Call us at [phone] Monday through Friday between 9am
and 5pm USA Pacific Standard Time.

5. Email us at: [e-mail]

For options 3, 4 and 5, please be prepared to provide the serial
number of your AMM-1.

6

Chapter 1: Introducing the AMM-1

Overview

If you’ve spent any time lately flipping through the pages of pro
audio magazines, you have almost certainly noticed the intense
focus on microphones. From the proliferation of exotic new mics to
the almost cult-like following of certain historical classics, never has
the choice been greater. But amassing a substantial collection of
high-end mics is financially prohibitive for all but the most well­heeled studios.

Enter the Antares AMM-1.
Using our patented Spectral Shaping Tool™ technology, we’ve

created digital models of a wide variety of microphones, from
historical classics to modern exotics, as well as a selection of
industry-standard workhorses. Simply tell the AMM-1 what
microphone you are actually using and what microphone you’d
like it to sound like. It’s as simple as that.

With the AMM-1, you can afford to record each track through a
model of the specific mic that will best produce that ideal sound
you’re looking for. Or use it in live performance to get the sound
of mics you’d never consider using on stage. You can even use it
during mixdown to effectively change the mic on an already
recorded track.

Not only do the models reproduce the sonic characteristics that
make each microphone unique, but they also give you control
of each mic’s specific options. Does the mic have a low cut filter?
If so, it’s in the model. Wind screen on or off? Close or far place­ment? Each option results in the same sonic effect that it would
have with the actual modeled mic. And for that final touch of
perfection, you can even add some tasty tube saturation.

And with the ability to download new models from our web
site, the AMM-1 will always keep you at the forefront of the
microphone art.

7

About The Technology

The models employed by the AMM-1 are not derived from theoreti­cal considerations. They are generated by a proprietary analysis
process that is applied to each physical mic modeled. Not only the
sonic characteristics, but the behavior of other parameters such as
low-cut filters or proximity effects accurately reflect the specific
performance of each individual microphone we model. The preci­sion of these models allows the AMM-1 to reproduce even the
subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) sonic variations that one often
finds in different samples of the same model of microphone. Conse­quently, for some important mics, we’ve provided multiple models,
each based on measurements taken from individual mics.

Another advantage of our model-based approach is that there is
essentially no processing delay apart from the natural phase effects
of the microphones being modeled.

Finally, the quality and signal-to-noise characteristics of the process­ing are pristine. Because of our commitment to model-based pro­cessing, there are none of the limitations or distortions characteristic
of FFT-based algorithms. The quality of the output is limited only by
the quality of the input.

So What Exactly Does It Do?

While there is a lot of fairly complicated stuff going on under the
hood, the essential functionality of the AMM-1 is really quite simple.
Basically, audio originally recorded by a microphone is input to the
AMM-1 where it is first processed by a “Source Model” which serves
to neutralize the known characteristics of the input mic. The audio is
then processed by a second “Modeled Mic” model which imposes
the characteristics of the modeled mic onto the previously neutral­ized signal. Finally, the audio is passed through a model of a high­quality tube preamp offering the option of classic tube saturation
distortion.

8

Chapter 2:
Setting Up the AMM-1

Setting up the AMM-1 is very straightforward.

1. Find a suitable location. The AMM-1 is designed to be mounted
in a standard 19-inch equipment rack.

2. Confirm that the included power supply is correct for the elec­tricity in your part of the world. If you are not sure, or the
power supply has a plug that is incompatible with your wall
sockets, contact your local Antares dealer for help.

Important! Do not attempt to modify the supply or use any
other supply that is not specifically intended for the AMM-1.

3. First, connect the power supply’s 7-pin DIN connector to the AC
INPUT jack on the rear of the AMM-1. Then plug the power
supply into an AC outlet.

4. Connect a balanced or unbalanced audio input to one of the
INPUT jacks or a digital input to the AES/EBU digital input
connector. (see Chapter 3 for details).

5. Connect a cable to one of the Analog OUTPUT jacks or the AES/
EBU digital output connector and route the output as appropri­ate for your application.

6. If you will be controlling your AMM-1 via MIDI or downloading
new mic models via Standard MIDI Files, connect a MIDI cable
from your MIDI source to the ATR-1’s MIDI IN jack.

An Important Note About Grounding: The AMM-1 is an ex­tremely quiet piece of gear. When properly connected and
grounded, analog noise and hum will be inaudible. However, as
you’re no doubt well aware, every studio has its own unique
quirks when it comes to connections, grounding and noise. For
the absolute best sonic performance, ensure that your analog
input and output are fully balanced.

9

Chapter 3:
Panel Controls and Connectors

The Front Panel

1 Power Switch As will be immediately obvious, pushing this

button in turns on your AMM-1. It will be left as a exercise for
the user to discover how to turn it off.

2 D-in LED This LED lights to indicate the presence of a valid

digital input at the AES/EBU input connector

3 Input Level Adjusts the digital level of the audio. Used in combi-

nation with the Level Meter LEDs to set the optimum input level
without clipping. Turning this knob temporarily displays the
input level in dBs on the LCD.

4 Input Level Meter These five LEDs light to indicate the level of

the audio as it is being processed by both the Source and Mod­eled mic models. Ideally, you should adjust the input to the
highest level that does not consistently cause the top red LED to
light. (The red LED lights at a level of -3dB. Digital clipping,
which introduces a particularly nasty-sounding distortion, will
occur if the input exceeds 0dB.)

10

5 Edit Select Button Press this button to select either the Source

Mic or Modeled Mic for editing. The associated LED lights to
indicate the current selection.

6 Preserve Source Buttons Pressing the Treble or Bass Preserve

Source button causes the selected frequency range of of the
input signal to be passed through the AMM-1 without process­ing (preserving the sound of your source mic in that range). The
associated LEDs light to indicate this state.

7 LCD An easy-to-read 20 character by 2 line display. You can set

the optimum viewing angle in the System menu (See Chapter 4).

8 Data Entry Knob As its name implies, turn it to enter data.

AMM-1 Front Panel

1 3 13 147

2 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 15 16

9 Microphone/Cursor Button In normal operation mode, pressing

this button allows you to select your desired source or modeled
mic. In System Edit Mode, this button lets you move the cursor in
the LCD display from field to field so that you can change each
field’s value using the Data Entry knob.

10 Proximity/Page Button In normal operation mode, pressing this

button allows you to control the proximity effect of the source
or modeled mic. When in System Edit Mode, press this button to
cycle sequentially through the available edit pages. You can only
move in one direction, but there are so few pages in System
mode that you are never more than a few presses away from
where you want to be.

11 Low Cut/Enter Button In normal operation mode, pressing this

button allows you to select any available low cut filters for the
source or modeled mic. When in System Edit Mode, press this
button to confirm certain operations.

12 Pattern Button In normal operation mode, pressing this button

allows you to select any available response patterns for the
source or modeled mic.

13 Tube Saturation Drive This knob (in combination with the Input

Level) controls the amount of tube saturation distortion that is
applied to your signal. Turning this knob temporarily displays
the drive level in dBs on the LCD.

14 System Button Press this button to set various parameters that

affect the AMM-1’s overall functionality (input format, new
model download, LCD contrast, etc.) The accompanying LED
lights to remind you that you are in System Edit Mode. When
the LED is lit, press the SYSTEM button again to exit the System
Edit Mode.

11

AMM-1 Front Panel

15 Bypass Button Press the Bypass button to pass audio through

the AMM-1 without any processing. The AMM-1 can also be
placed into Bypass Mode via a footswitch or by MIDI. The accom­panying LED lights to remind you that you are in Bypass Mode,
whether the mode was initiated by the Bypass button, the foot
switch, or MIDI.

16 Output Level Sets the output level of the processed audio. This

control provides attenuation only; no gain is available. Turning
this knob temporarily displays the output attenuation in dBs on
the LCD.

12

The Back Panel

AMM-1 Back Panels

3 4 5 6 7 81 2

1 Balanced Line Inputs Inputs can be 1/4-inch TRS (tip-ring-sleeve)

Phone, 1/4-inch TS (tip-sleeve) Phone or female XLR.

Note: The XLR input is NOT a microphone input. A line level
signal is required.

Also Note: If you use a 1/4-inch TS plug, the input will of course
not be balanced.

Yet Another Note: The two inputs will not mix two signals.
Plugging in a phone plug will disconnect the XLR input.

2 Line Outputs Outputs can be 1/4-inch TS (tip-sleeve) Phone

Unbalanced or male XLR Balanced.

3 AES/EBU Digital Input Connect an AES/EBU digital input

signal here.

4 AES/EBU Digital Output Provides AES/EBU digital output

regardless of the input format selection.

5 MIDI In Connect the MIDI Out from a MIDI sequencer, or other

MIDI source in here.

6 MIDI Out Not currently used.
7 Bypass Foot Switch Plug in a foot switch here. A 1/4-inch TS

(tip-sleeve) plug is required. There are two varieties of foot
switch: those that are shorted by default and those that are
open by default. You should plug in your foot switch and then
power on the AMM-1. The AMM-1 will detect which kind of
foot switch you have and behave accordingly.

8 AC Power Input Plug the 7-pin DIN connector from the included

power supply in here. Do NOT use a supply which is not ex­pressly intended for the AMM-1 (even if you could find one
with that weird plug on it). Bad things could happen.

13

Chapter 4: Operation

Live or Mixdown?

The AMM-1 functions equally well processing audio during its
original performance or later during the mixdown process. However,
if you have the choice (which you typically will for everything but a
live stage performance), we strongly recommend using the AMM-1
as an insert effect during mixdown. This will allow you to experi­ment with mic choice and various mic settings while auditioning
their effect in the context of the entire mix.

If you do chose to work this way, it is important that you carefully
document all mic data for each recorded track. This should include
the mic used, any settings such as low-cut filter and/or response
pattern selected, as well as the average distance between the mic
and the signal source (singer, instrument, etc.). This information will
be required to properly set the Source Mic controls during the mix.

Signal Flow

14

The AMM-1 is divided into a number of discreet functional blocks as
follows (in the order of signal flow):

Input

For setting the input level of the audio to be processed

Source Mic

For indicating the mic (and the state of its various parameters) that
was actually used to record the audio.

Modeled Mic

For selecting the mic (and the state of its various parameters) whose
sound you would like to model.

Tube Saturation

For adding a model of analog tube saturation distortion.

Controls

Input Section

Controls: Input Section

Output

For setting the output level of the processed audio.
The use of each of the individual controls is covered below.

The Input Level knob adjusts the digital level of the audio. Turning
the Input Level knob will temporarily display the Input Level value
on the LCD:

Input gain (dB)
+11.3

In most instances, you should start with the Input Level set to 0dB. If
you are using an analog input, use your mixer to adjust the level of
the input signal such that it doesn’t cause the -3dB LED of the Level
Meter to light consistently.

The Level Meter displays the level of the audio as it is being pro­cessed by both the Source and Modeled mic models. Because some
models (or combinations of models) can result in increased ampli­tude at various frequencies, changing to a different mic model or
changing a model’s settings may require an adjustment of the Input
Level to avoid clipping.

If you are using a digital input, you should, again, start with the
Input Level set to 0dB. You should typically only increase the Input
Level for the purpose of increasing the range of Tube Saturation
(see below) or decrease the Input Level setting if the combination of
models results in digital clipping. Increasing the Input Level, simply
to get the highest Level Meter reading without clipping, will NOT
result in the increased dynamic range that would result from such
an analog adjustment.

15