AudioControl MP-200 Owner's Manual

MP-200

TWO-CHANNEL MICROPHONE PREAMPLIFIER SYSTEM

Owner’s Manual

22410 70th Avenue West  Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043  Phone [phone] Fax [phone]

www.audiocontrol.com

P/N 9130560

© 1999 All Rights Reserved

MP-200 Operation Manual

Quick Start

Quick Start

This Is The Part Of The Manual To Read If You Don’t Read Anything Else.

• Install the 9 volt battery into the MP-200.

• Plug the included CM-10 microphone into INPUT 1 on the MP-200. Important Note: The MP-

200 is only designed to be used with the AudioControl Industrial CM-10 microphone. Other
mics will not properly register on the 94dB reference and may not operate on the 12 volt
phantom power output.

• Connect the LINE OUTPUT of the MP-200 to your analyzer or computer sound input.

• Set the MIC GAIN knob on the MP-200 to 0 dB. At this setting, the output signal level will be

24.5 mV

• If you need a test signal, connect the PINK NOISE OUTPUT of the MP-200 to a line level
input on your system under test. Note: To prolong battery life, the pink noise circuitry of the

MP-200 only receives power when a ¼" plug is inserted into the PINK NOISE OUTPUT jack.
Disconnect the plug from the pink noise output jack when not in use.

at 94 dB sound pressure level (1 Pascal).

RMS

Quick system hook-up

MP-200 Operation Manual

Introduction

Okay , now that the knob tweakers are off frantically looking for patch cables to play with their new goodie,
the rest of us can relax and take a few minutes to peruse through this manual...

The AudioControl Industrial MP-200 is a compact, portable, battery powered, two-channel measurement
microphone preamp system. The MP-200 provides all the tools necessary to make accurate acoustical
measurements with your computer-based audio analysis system. The small size and battery power makes it
especially well suited for traveling with laptop computers.

AudioControl Industrial has been designing and manufacturing audio analysis equipment in the United
States since 1977. The AudioControl Industrial SA-3050 real-time audio analyzer is still the world’s most
popular analyzer. The MP-200 is designed to our high quality standards to meet the needs of audio profes­sionals and enthusiasts alike.

Measurement microphones versus recording microphones

The fundamental difference between a microphone intended for measurements and one for recording or live
performance is calibration. A measurement microphone is calibrated against an absolute reference for
frequency response and sound pressure level output. This means that a measurement grade microphone will
have a very neutral sonic character and not change the frequency response of the signal. Recording micro­phones on the other hand almost always have a very distinct “sound” to them. Some mics are better for
vocals while others are great for kick drums. This is because these mics have an equalization in their
frequency response to enhance specific portions of the audio spectrum. It is this equalization that makes
recording and performance microphones unsuitable for making audio analysis measurements.

The CM-10 measurement microphone included with your MP-200 preamp was calibrated at our factory to
meet or exceed its published specifications.

Features of the MP-200

T wo Channel Microphone Preamp - Allows two microphone inputs for comparison between two acoustic

locations.

Microphone And Line-Level Inputs - Channel 2 on the MP-200 is selectable between mic or line level

inputs.

Switched Step-Gain Control - The MP-200 features discrete switch-stepped, microphone gain control for

repeatable audio measurements. The mic gain level is selectable in 10db steps from 0dB to +40dB.

Measurement Microphone - The CM-10 is a measurement-grade microphone. This calibrated mic fea-

tures a ¼" back-electret condenser element with rugged polyester diaphragm.

Digital Pink Noise Generator - A lab-quality test signal source for audio analysis. Features an automatic

power control when a plug is inserted into the pink noise output jack to conserve battery power.

94dB SPL Acoustic Reference LED - For accurate sound level measurements, this LED provides a

known sound level reference for calibrating analysis software.

Portable Battery Operation - The 9 volt battery provides over ten hours of portable operation. Perfect for

use with laptop computer-based analyzer systems.

A Tour of the MP-200

Front Panel View

Introduction

94DB SPL REFERENCE LED

Indicates when the acoustic SPL level at

the CM-10 mic is 94 dB. Useful for

LOW BATTERY LED

Indicates when it is time to put a

new battery into the MP-200.

PINK NOISE OUTPUT LEVEL

Adjusts the output signal level of the

pink noise generator.

calibrating analyzer systems.

Adjusts the gain of the line level

CHANNEL TWO INPUT SWITCH

Selects which input is sent to the

channel 2 outputs.

POWER SWITCH AND

MIC GAIN CONTROL
Controls the main power of the
MP-200 and selects the gain of

both microphone inputs.

LINE LEVEL INPUT GAIN

input signal to channel two.

POWER LED

A little reminder to help keep

people from putting the MP-200

back into their toolbox with the

power on.

Rear Panel View

MIC INPUTS

Microphone level female XLR

inputs for the CM-10

measurement microphone.

Summed mono, line level RCA

input jacks for an external

reference signal to channel two.

LINE INPUTS

LINE

OUTPUTS

Line level RCA

output jacks.

UNBALANCED PINK NOISE OUTPUT

Variable level ¼" phone jack output of

the digital pink noise generator. The pink

noise circuitry is only active when a plug

is inserted into this jack.

STEREO OUTPUT

Stereo 1/8" minijack

output to feed standard

computer sound card

line inputs.

EXTERNAL DC

POWER INPUT

For operation from

an external

9 vdc power source