ART Pro Audio USBDualTubePre User Manual
USB Dual Tube Pre
User’s Manual
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS – READ FIRST
alerts you to the presence of uninsulated you to important operating and maintenance
dangerous voltage inside the enclosure. Voltage instructions in the accompanying literature.
that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock. Please read manual.
Read instructions:
Retain these safety and operating instructions for future reference. Heed all warnings printed here and on the equipment. Follow the
operating instructions printed in this user guide.
Do not open:
Aside from two vacuum tubes, there are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer any service work to qualified technical personnel only.
Power sources:
Only connect the unit to mains power of the type marked on the rear panel. The power source must provide a good ground connection.
Power cord:
Use the power cord with the mains plug appropriate for your local mains supply as provided with the equipment. If the provided plug
does not fit into your outlet consult your service agent. Route the power cord so that it is not likely to be walked on, stretched or
pinched by items placed upon or against.
Grounding:
Do not defeat the grounding and polarization means of the power cord plug. Do not remove or tamper with the ground connection on
the power cord.
Ventilation:
Do not position the unit where the air required for ventilation is impeded. If the unit is to be operated in a rack, case or other furniture,
ensure that it is constructed to allow adequate ventilation.
Moisture:
To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock do not expose the unit to rain, moisture or use in damp or wet conditions. Do not place a
container of liquid on it, which may spill into any openings.
Heat:
Do not locate the unit in a place close to excessive heat or direct sunlight, as this could be a fire hazard. Locate the unit away from any
equipment, which produces heat such as: power supplies, power amplifiers and heaters.
Environment:
Protect from excessive dirt, dust, heat, and vibration when operating and storing. Avoid tobacco ash, drink spillage and smoke, especially that associated with smoke machines.
Handling:
To prevent damage to the controls and cosmetics avoid rough handling and excessive vibration. Protect the controls from damage during transit. Use adequate padding if you need to ship the unit. To avoid injury to yourself or damage to the equipment take care when
lifting, moving or carrying the unit.
Servicing:
Switch off the equipment and unplug the power cord immediately if it is exposed to moisture, spilled liquid, objects fallen into opening, or the power cord or plug becomes damaged during a lightning storm or if smoke odor or noise is noted. Refer servicing to qualified technical personnel only.
Installation:
Install the unit in accordance with the instructions printed in the user guide.
This symbol, wherever it appears, This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS – READ FIRST .......................................II
INTRODUCTION:.............................................................................................................1
Front Panel..........................................................................................................................3
LEFT GAIN and RIGHT GAIN knobs........................................................................................................................................3
GAIN switch................................................................................................................................................................................3
LOW CUT switch........................................................................................................................................................................3
PHASE switch .............................................................................................................................................................................3
OPTO COMP switch ...................................................................................................................................................................3
LEFT LEVEL and RIGHT LEVEL knobs ..................................................................................................................................3
SIGNAL/CLIP LEDs...................................................................................................................................................................4
MONITOR MIX knob .................................................................................................................................................................4
MONITOR LEVEL knob ............................................................................................................................................................4
MONITOR HEADPHONES jack................................................................................................................................................4
STEREO/DUAL switch...............................................................................................................................................................4
OPTO link switch ........................................................................................................................................................................4
MONITOR switch .......................................................................................................................................................................4
Rear Panel connections and controls................................................................................5
INPUT Jacks................................................................................................................................................................................5
INSERTS jacks............................................................................................................................................................................5
INSERT switch............................................................................................................................................................................5
MONITOR OUTPUT jacks......................................................................................................................................................... 5
S/PDIF Output .............................................................................................................................................................................6
USB jack......................................................................................................................................................................................6
9 Volts AC POWER jack.............................................................................................................................................................6
POWER switch............................................................................................................................................................................ 6
S/PDIF SAMPLE RATE switch..................................................................................................................................................6
PHANTOM POWER switch .......................................................................................................................................................6
Block Diagram ....................................................................................................................7
APPLICATIONS: ..............................................................................................................8
Microphone Pre Amplifier:..........................................................................................................................................................8
Phantom Power Supply:...............................................................................................................................................................8
Instrument DI:..............................................................................................................................................................................8
SIGNAL/CLIP LEDs:..................................................................................................................................................................9
USB OPERATION:.....................................................................................................................................................................9
S/PDIF OPERATION:...............................................................................................................................................................10
A brief note from customer service: ..........................................................................................................................................10
WARRANTY INFORMATION:....................................................................................11
SERVICE: .........................................................................................................................11
SPECIFICATIONS:.........................................................................................................12
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INTRODUCTION:
Thank you for purchasing the ART USB Dual Tube Pre computer interface. Though it is very reliable and easy to use, we ask that
you take a moment to read the manual to get the best performance.
The USB Dual Tube Pre is a two channel professional quality audio interface that lets you connect microphone, instrument, and line
level signals to a mixer or other audio input as well as directly to your computer via USB or S/PDIF. This hybrid design is the latest
in a long line of ART tube preamps. We took our legendary Tube MP series and updated every aspect of the design, inside and out,
while still maintaining a compact, reliable, and cost effective product. From the all-aluminum stackable chassis to the precision LED
level metering circuitry, we have improved virtually every aspect of our already successful Tube MP series.
Included in this model are two different digital interfaces that add the ability to go direct to digital audio for connecting to virtually
any personal computer. The USB interface is supported by USB audio device drivers that are already built into Windows
98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 and Apple OS9.1/OSX computers. No special drivers are needed for basic operation. Just connect to the USB jack and your USB Dual Tube Pre will look like a USB Audio Device to your system. This gives you a totally isolated low noise audio interface for hard disk recording. A Separate S/PDIF jack allows a standard digital connection to various audio
interfaces.
The latest ultra low noise discrete microphone preamp front end has an extremely flat and wide frequency response and handles a
wide range of input signal levels with a minimum of coloration. This gives you a very clean and neutral sound with a wide variety of
signal sources. The high impedance 1/4” instrument input bypasses the microphone preamp circuitry to maintain a clean signal path.
We use a high quality 12AX7A tube inside to add warmth to musical dynamics and the analog section power supply is external to
keep AC line noise and hum back at the wall. The USB interface is isolated and powered directly off the USB port.
The input Gain control and switch helps to maximize your input dynamic range as well as control how hard you are driving the tube.
These two features are a must when trying to get the most out of a vintage ribbon or studio grade microphone. The switch selectable
Low Cut filter removes very low frequency rumble and wind noise before it has a chance to overload your inputs. The Bessel filter
design is set at a low 70Hz to preserve bass tonality and time domain response and it is very effective when tracking or interfacing to
your computer based audio workstation. Phantom power is available for the XLR input and is a clean +48 Volts DC from a low noise
internal supply that is current limited to prevent damage to your sensitive microphones.
An optical Compressor with fast attack and musical release times controls the maximum audio output level to prevent overloading
succeeding equipment. This allows you to maximize the dynamic range of your signal before converting to digital. A Phase Invert
switch lets you switch signal polarity right at the source. This is handy when you are mixing the signal output with other channels in a
mix.
The Output control comes after the Tube, Compressor and is used to match the output level to a wide variety of systems. Following
The Output controls are Insert Loop jacks and a bypass switch that allows adding effects and monitoring of the input signal.
Finally, a high performance output monitor section provides output signal drive capability to both balanced outputs and Headphone
output. This allows you to use the analog output jacks to directly monitor, with no latency, the signal that is going to digital via the
USB and S/PDIF interface and mix it with audio from your computer (via USB).
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Key Features Include:
• Two channel Tube based Mic/Instrument preamp computer interface
• Extremely low noise discrete front end with variable input and output controls
• Advanced optical output compressor to simplify recording and prevent overload
• USB connectivity to desktop and laptop computers
• S/PDIF output for expanding inputs on digital workstations and computer interfaces
• Latency free Monitoring Mix and Level controls
• Balanced XLR for lo-Z applications and 1/4” hi-Z inputs for instrument DI applications
• Separate Gain, Phase Invert, Low Cut Filter and Compressor switches on each input
• Selectable Dual or Stereo operation of output controls
• Switch selectable Inserts on each channel
• Insert jacks provide a preamp direct out for each channel
• Stereo/ Dual operation of Optical Compressor
• Mono switch for single input monitoring
• S/PDIF Sample Rate switch selectable between 44.1K and 48K
• Precision LED metering of both the preamp and A/D sections
• Built-in low noise +48 Volt phantom power supply
• Compact, stackable all aluminum chassis
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