Behringer PMH1000, PMH3000, PMH5000 User Manual

User’s Manual

Version 1.2 November 2004

ENGLISH

PMH1000/PMH3000/PMH5000

EUROPOWER

EUROPOWER PMH1000/PMH3000/PMH5000

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

DETAILED SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove

the top cover (or the rear section). No user
serviceable parts inside; refer servicing to qualified
personnel.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not

expose this appliance to rain and moisture. The
apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or
splashing and no objects filled with liquids, such
as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.

This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the
presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage inside
the enclosure—voltage that may be sufficient to
constitute a risk of shock.

This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to
important operating and maintenance instructions
in the accompanying literature. Please read the
manual.

5) Do not use this apparatus near water.

6) Clean only with dry cloth.

7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in
accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators,
heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including
amplifiers) that produce heat.

9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or
grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades
with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug
has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide
blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If
the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult
an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or
pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles,
and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11) Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.

12) Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table
specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the
apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving
the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from
tip-over.

13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or
when unused for long periods of time.

14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been
damaged in any way, such as power supply cord or plug
is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen
into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to
rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been
dropped.

15) CAUTION - These service instructions are for use by
qualified service personnel only. To reduce the risk of
electric shock do not perform any servicing other than
that contained in the operation instructions unless you
are qualified to do so.

2

EUROPOWER PMH1000/PMH3000/PMH5000

FOREWORD

Dear Customer,
Welcome to the team of

EUROPOWER users
and thank you very much
for expressing your confi­dence in BEHRINGER
products by purchasing
this power mixer.

It is one of my most
pleasant tasks to write
this letter to you, because
it is the culmination of
many months of hard
work delivered by our
engineering team to reach
a very ambitious goal:
to present you three
outstanding power
mixers that give you
maximum flexibility and

performance with a unique sound character and broad range of
striking functions. The task to design the new PMH series certainly
meant a great deal of responsibility, which we assumed by
focusing on you, the discerning user and musician. It also meant
a lot of work and night shifts to accomplish this goal. But it was
fun, too. Developing a product usually brings a lot of people
together, and what a great feeling it is when everybody who
participated in such a project can be proud of what we’ve
achieved.

It is our philosophy to share our joy with you, because you
are the most important member of the BEHRINGER team. With
your highly competent suggestions for new products you’ve
greatly contributed to shaping our company and making it
successful. In return, we guarantee you uncompromising quality
as well as excellent technical and audio properties at an extremely
favorable price. All of this will enable you to fully unfold your
creativity without being hampered by budget constraints.

We are often asked how we can make it to produce such high­grade devices at such unbelievably low prices. The answer is
quite simple: it’s you, our customers! Many satisfied customers
means large sales volumes enabling us to get better conditions
of purchase for components, etc. Isn’t it only fair to pass this
benefit back to you? Because we know that your success is our
success, too!

I would like to thank all people whose help on “Project PMH”
has made it all possible. Everybody has made very personal
contributions, starting from the designers of the unit to the many
staff members in our company and finally to you, the user of
BEHRINGER products.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................4

1.1 Before you get started ................................................... 4

1.1.1 Shipment ............................................................... 4

1.1.2 Initial operation...................................................... 4

1.1.3 Warranty .............................................................. 4

1.2 The manual ..................................................................... 4

2. CONTROL ELEMENTS ............................................... 4

2.1 Mono and stereo channels ............................................ 4

2.1.1 Input section ......................................................... 5

2.2 Equalizer and FBQ.......................................................... 6

2.3 Effects section ............................................................... 6

2.4 Main and monitor section................................................ 6

2.4.1 Connectors ........................................................... 7

2.5 Rear panel ......................................................................7

3. DIGIT AL EFFECTS PROCESSOR ................................7

4. INST ALLATION ........................................................... 8

4.1 Mains connection ........................................................... 8

4.2 Audio connections ......................................................... 8

4.3 Loudspeaker connections ............................................. 9

5. WIRING EXAMPLES .................................................10

6. SPECIFICA TIONS .....................................................13

7. WARRANTY ..............................................................14

My friends, it’s been worth the trouble!

Thank you very much,

Uli Behringer

CAUTION!

 We would like to point out that high volume levels may

damage your hearing and/or your headphones. Please
move down all faders in the MAIN section before turning
on the device. Always make sure that the appropriate
volume is set.

3

EUROPOWER PMH1000/PMH3000/PMH5000

1. INTRODUCTION

Congratulations! With the PMH1000/PMH3000/PMH5000 you
have acquired a state-of-the-art power mixer that sets new
standards. Right from the very start it has been our goal to
design a revolutionary unit that can be used for a wide variety of
applications. Indeed, this overwhelming power mixer gives you
plenty of functionality and a broad range of connection and
expansion options.

Your PMH features our revolutionary COOLAUDIO amplifier
technology, which reduces the weight and size of the unit
considerably and ensures extremely high output power.

Further advantages are the integrated Voice Canceller that
removes vocal passages from playbacks, the FBQ function,
which detects feedback frequencies, and the Speaker
Processing function for loudspeaker alignment—all with a
resolution of 24 bits and 46 kHz. Plus, our tried and tested
“Invisible” Mic Preamps give you crystal-clear audio free of noise
and distortion when using microphones.

The mixing consoles of the PMH series feature a state of the
art, integrated switch-mode power supply (SMPS). One of the
great advantages is that (compared to conventional circuits) a
switch-mode power supply adapts to mains voltages between
100 and 240 volts automatically. Furthermore, due to its much
greater efficiency, it consumes much less energy than a
conventional power supply unit.

BEHRINGER is a company with its roots in professional
recording studio technology. For many years we have been
successful in developing products for studio and live use. These
include microphones and 19" units of all types (compressors,
enhancers, noise gates, tube processors, headphone amplifiers,
digital effects, DI boxes, etc.), monitor and P.A. speakers and
professional live and recording mixers. Our entire technical know­how has gone into your PMH power mixer.

1.1 Before you get started

1.1.1 Shipment

Your PMH was carefully packed at the factory and the
packaging is designed to protect the unit from rough handling.
Nevertheless, we recommend that you carefully examine the
packaging and its contents for any signs of physical damage
which may have occurred during transit.

 If the unit is damaged, please do NOT return it to

BEHRINGER, but notify your dealer and the shipping
company immediately. Otherwise, claims for damage
or replacement may not be granted.

 We recommend that you use a flight case, so as to give

your power mixer optimum protection during use or
transport.

 Always use the original packing carton to prevent

damage during storage or transport.

 Make sure that children cannot play unsupervised with

the device or its packaging.

 Please ensure proper disposal of all packing materials.

1.1.2 Initial operation

Be sure that there is enough air space around the unit for cooling
and, to avoid overheating, please do not place the EUROPOWER
near radiators, etc.

 Blown fuses must be replaced by fuses of the same type

and rating! Please refer to the “SPECIFICATIONS” for
details.

The mains connection is made using the enclosed power cord
and a standard IEC receptacle. It meets all of the international
safety certification requirements.

 Please make sure that all units have a proper

ground connection. For your own safety, never
remove or disable the ground conductor from the
unit or on the AC power cord.

1.1.3 Warranty

The EUROPOWER’s serial number is located on the rear of the
unit. Please take the time to fill in and return the warranty card
within 14 days after the date of purchase, so as to benefit from
our extended warranty. Or register online at
www.behringer.com.

1.2 The manual

This manual is designed to give you both an overview of all
control elements and to provide details about how to use them.
To provide you with a clear structure, we have grouped the control
elements according to their function. They can easily be found on
the enclosed numbered illustrations. If you need more detailed
information on specific topics, please visit our web site at
www.behringer.com.

2. CONTROL ELEMENTS

A detailed description of all functions of your power mixer can
be found in the following chapters. Please also refer to the
enclosed sheet with the numbered illustrations to get a good
overview of the control layout.

2.1 Mono and stereo channels

Use the TRIM control to adjust the input gain. Be sure to set
this control fully counter-clockwise before you connect or
disconnect a signal source to an input. TRIM controls both
the microphone and the LINE input. The black scale shows
the microphone gain (+10 to +60 dB on channels with
“INVISIBLE” MIC PREAMPS and 0 to +40 dB on conventional
microphone inputs; PMH1000 only, channels 5/6 and 7/8).

The “LINE” scale indicates the sensitivity of the LINE input,
ranging from +10 to -40 dBu.

PMH1000: The mono/stereo combination channels 5/6 and
7/8 have a sensitivity of +20 to -20 dBu.

The LEVEL SET LED illuminates when an optimum operating
level has been adjusted.

The mono channels are equipped with a high-slope LOW
CUT filter eliminating unwanted low-frequency signals like
rumble noise.

PMH3000/PMH5000 (stereo channels): Press the A/B button
to switch from 1/4" jacks to RCA connectors, and vice
versa. Position “A” = 1/4" jacks; position “B” = RCA
connectors.

The HIGH control in the EQ section governs the high
frequency range of the respective channel.

Use the MID control to boost or cut the midrange
frequencies.

PMH5000: The PMH5000 has an additional semi-parametric
filter for the midrange frequencies in the mono channels
(tunable from 100 Hz to 8 kHz). Adjust the boost/cut with
the MID control, and the frequency with the FREQ control.

The stereo channels contain a stereo EQ section. The cut­off frequencies of the high and low bands are 12 kHz and
80 Hz respectively, while the center frequencies of the
high-mid and low-mid bands are 3 kHz and 400 Hz
respectively.

The LOW control allows you to boost/cut the low frequency
range.

With the MON(ITOR) control you can adjust the volume of
each channel in the monitor mix.

The PMH3000 and PMH5000 feature a second MON control
(MON 2) for the volume of the second monitor bus.

4

2. CONTROL ELEMENTS

EUROPOWER PMH1000/PMH3000/PMH5000

The FX control determines the signal level sent from each
channel to the built-in effects processor; this signal is also
present at the FX SEND jack (see ).

The PMH5000 has two FX controls (FX 1 and FX 2), so that
you can use two effects simultaneously. Accordingly, the
PMH5000 also has two effect aux buses, which have one
output jack in common (see and ).

 Please note that the effects processor signal will be

inaudible, as long as the FX TO MON/MAIN controls

, , are set fully counter-clockwise.

The PAN(ORAMA) control determines the position of the
channel signal in the stereo main mix.

The BAL(ANCE) control for the stereo channels
corresponds to the PAN control for the mono channels. It
determines the relative volume of the left and right input
signals before they are routed to the stereo main output.

PMH3000/PMH5000: When you press the PFL button (Pre
Fader Listening) the left LED shows the pre-fader
input gain of the channel. Adjust the optimum input gain (0
dB) with the TRIM control . When PFL is on, the corres­ponding LED illuminates.

If the LEVEL SET LED is illuminated constantly, the
signal is within the optimum operating level range. However,
if the CLIP LED indicates that the input gain is too high, you
should reduce the level slightly with the TRIM control. The
CLIP LED should never be illuminated all the time, only with
signal peaks.

The MUTE switch mutes the channel in the main mix. The
pre-fader signals (monitor buses) remain operative. When
MUTE is pressed, the corresponding control LED illuminates.

The channel fader controls the channel signal level in the
main mix.

2.1.1 Input section

Each mono input channel is equipped with a balanced
microphone input (XLR connector) which provides
+48 V phantom power for condenser microphones at the
touch of a button (see rear panel).

PMH1000: The two stereo channels 5/6 and 7/8 have an
additional balanced XLR microphone input with +48 V
phantom power.

 Be sure to switch off your audio system before you

activate the phantom power supply to protect your
monitor speakers from switch-on thumps.

Each mono input features one LINE IN connector (1/4"
jack), which can be used with either balanced or
unbalanced signals.

 Please remember to use either the microphone or

the line input on a specific channel. Never use both
at the same time!

 When you connect a mono line signal to a stereo

channel, always use the left input. The mono signal
will then be reproduced by both sides equally.

 PMH1000: This does not apply to the mono/stereo

combination channels 5/6 and 7/8.

INSERT I/O. Insert points or simply inserts are used to
process a signal with dynamic processors or equalizers.
They are pre-fader, pre-EQ and pre-MON/FX SEND. Unlike
reverb and other effects, which are usually added to the
dry signal, dynamic processors usually process the entire
signal. So, aux send buses are not the best solution.
Dynamic processors need to be inserted directly into the
signal path. Once processed, the signal then returns to the
mixing console at the same point where it left. Signal
interruption takes place only if a plug is inserted into the
corresponding jack (1/4" stereo plug: tip = signal output,
ring = input). All mono input channels are equipped with
inserts.

The stereo channels have a TRIM control for gain
adjustment, with the input sensitivity ranging from +20 to

-20 dB.
PMH1000: The stereo channels 5/6 and 7/8 feature an

additional XLR connector for microphones whose gain
can be set from 0 to +40 dB.

Each stereo channel has two line-level inputs (1/4" jacks)
for the left and right channels. If only the jack marked “L” is
used, the channel is mono. The signal will then be
reproduced on both sides.

 PMH1000: This does not apply to the mono/stereo

combination channels 5/6 and 7/8.

 PMH1000: Channels 13/14 and 15/16 are routed to

the main mix without additional tone or volume
adjustment. For example, using the channels 13/14
and 15/16 you can connect a submixer and utilize
the PMH1000’s power amplifier.

PMH3000: The stereo channels 9/10 and 11/12 are equipped
with additional RCA connectors.

PMH5000: The stereo channels 13/14 and 15/16 are
equipped with additional RCA connectors.

 PMH3000/PMH5000: Please note that you need to set

the A/B selector to A (1/4") or B (RCA) when you
connect a signal to the input.

PMH3000/PMH5000: Each of the two stereo channels has
two monitor controls (MON 1/2) and a LEVEL control .
Like the other channels, they also feature a PFL switch.

Instead of a fader this channel has a rotary LEVEL control.
The phantom power supply provides the voltage necessary

for the operation of condenser microphones. Use the
PHANTOM switch to activate the supply for the XLR
connectors of the input channels. The +48 V LED will
illuminate when phantom power is on. In most cases,
dynamic microphones can still be used, as long as they are
connected in a balanced configuration. If in doubt, please
contact the manufacturer of your microphone!

 With phantom power switched on, you must never

connect microphones to the console (or to a stage/wall
box). Also, be sure to mute the monitor/P.A. speakers,
before you turn on the phantom power supply. After
switching on, please allow the system to stabilize for
about one minute, before you adjust the input gain.

 Caution! Never use unbalanced XLR connectors (pins 1

and 3 interconnected) on the MIC input jacks, if you are
going to use the phantom power supply.

The AMP MODE switch determines the mode of operation
of the PMH amplifier stage:

PMH1000:

MAIN: In the “MAIN” position the mixer works as a stereo
amplifier.

MON: In this mode the monitor signal is present at OUTPUT A

and the main signal at OUTPUT B (both are mono).

BRIDGE (bridged mono mode): In BRIDGE AMP MODE

the output power of OUTPUT A is added to that of OUTPUT
B, i.e. OUTPUT B delivers twice its normal output power.

PMH3000/PMH5000:

MAIN L/MAIN R. In position MAIN MIX, the mixer works as

a stereo amplifier.

MON 1/MONO. In this mode the monitor 1 signal is present
at OUTPUT A and the main signal at OUTPUT B
(both are mono).

BRIDGE (bridged mono mode): In BRIDGE AMP MODE

the output power of OUTPUT A is added to that of OUTPUT
B, i.e. OUTPUT B delivers twice its normal output power.

2. CONTROL ELEMENTS

5