Phonic Helix Board 17 User Manual

Helix Board 17

COMPACT MIXER WITH USB INTERFACE

English

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and that no objects ﬁlled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus. The MAINS plug is used as the disconnect device, the disconnect device shall remain readily operable.

Warning: the user shall not place this apparatus in the conﬁned area during the operation so that the mains switch can be easily accessible.

1. Re ad the se i ns tr uc ti on s be fo re o pe ra ti ng t hi s apparatus

Keep these instructions for future reference.

3. Heed all warnings to ensure safe operation.

4. Follow all instructions provided in this document.

5. Do not use this apparatus near water or in locations where condensation may occu

6. Clean only with dry cloth. Do not use aerosol or liquid cleaners. Unplug this apparatus before cleaning

7. Do not block any of the ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacture

8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat ampliﬁers) that produce heat

9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type with has blade the an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet

r’s instructions.

registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including

plug. A polarized plug has two blades

one wider than the other. A grounding type plug

two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide

or the third prong is provided for your safety. If

provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,

T REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)

DO NO

NO USER SE

REFER SE

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an

equilateral

presence

produc

magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons

exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is in-

The

tended

and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature

ing

accompanying the appliance

WARNING: To reduce the risk of ﬁre or electric shock, do

not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

RVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

RVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

triangle, is intended to alert the user to the

of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the

t’s enclosure that may be of sufﬁcient

to alert the user to the presence of important operat-

10.

Protect the power cord from being walked on or

pinched and the point where they exit from the apparatus

particularly at plug, convenience receptacles,

11. Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacture

12. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or

speciﬁed by the manufacturer, or sold with

table the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution

mov in g th e cart/apparatus

wh en combination

ove

to avoid injury from tip-

13. Unplug this apparatus during lighting

or ms o r when unused for lon g

st periods of time

14. Refer all servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel. Servicing damaged plug have been normall

is required when the apparatus has been in any way, such as power-supply cord or

is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects

fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate

y, or has been dropped.

CAUTION: Use

of controls or adjustments or performance

of procedures other than those speciﬁed may result in

hazardous radiation exposure.

HELIX BOARD 17

COMPACT MIXER WITH USB INTERFACE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4

FEATURES....................................................................................................................................4

GETTING STARTED .....................................................................................................................

Basic Setup .............................................................................................................................5

Channel Setup ..........................................................................................................................

MAKING CONNECTIONS.............................................................................................................6

CONTROLS AND SETTINGS .......................................................................................................7

USB INTERFACE ........................................................................................................................ 11

Precautions .............................................................................................................................11

Operating System ..................................................................................................................

APPLICATION ............................................................................................................................. 12

DIGITAL EFFECT TABLE ............................................................................................................ 13

SPECIFICATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 14

BLOCK DIAGRAM.......................................................................................................................16

.11

DIMENSIONS.............................................................................................................................. 17

Phonic reserves the right to improve or alter any information supplied within this document without prior notice.

V1.1 11/14. 2005

INTRODUCTION

FEATURES

Thank you for choosing one of Phonic’s many quality products. The Helix Board 17 Compact Mixers with USB interface – designed by the ingenious engineers that have created a variety of mixers fantastic in style and performance in the past – display similar proﬁ ciency that previous Phonic products have shown; with more than a few reﬁ nements, of course. The Helix Board 17 features full

ranges, amazingly low distortion levels, and incredibly

gain wide dynamic ranges, just showing the dominance these small machines will have in the mixing World.

We know how eager you are to get started – wanting to get the mixer out and hook it all up is probably your number one priority right now – but before you do, we strongly urge you to take a look through this manual. Inside, you will ﬁ nd important facts and ﬁ gures on the set up, use and applications of your brand new mixer. If you do happen to be one of the many people who ﬂ atly refuse to read user manuals, then we just urge you to at least glance at the Instant Setup section. After glancing at or reading through the manual (we applaud you if you do read the entire manual), please store it in a place that is easy for you to ﬁ nd, because chances are there’s something you missed the ﬁ rst time around.

Audiophile-quality & ultra low noise

5 Mic/Line channels with inserts and phantom power

3 stereo channels with 4-band EQ

3-band EQ with swept mid-range plus low cut on each mono channel

2 Aux sends, one with Pre/Post switch

24-bit digital stereo multi-effect processor with 16 pro-

plus one main parameter control, tap control and

grams foot switch

2 true subgroups with main L and R routing switches

3 stereo aux returns, 2 with effect to monitor level control

Solo feature on each input and output

Record output with trim control for recording level matching

Convenient mini stereo I/O for MD, MP3 player/ recorde

Built-in switching power supply with universal connecto

Integrated USB Port to transfer audio directly between the mixer and your computer

16-bit stereo simultaneous inputs and outputs over USB

Plug and play operation under Windows and Mac OS, no additional drivers required

44.1 kHz S/PDIF digital out

Rack-mounting kit included

r, input with level control

r, 100-240VAC, 50/60Hz

HELIX BOARD 17

GETTING STARTED

Basic Setup

1. Ensure all power is turned off on your mixer. To totally

ensure this, the AC cable should not be connected to the unit.

2. All faders and level controls should be set at the lowest level and all channels switched off to ensure no sound is inadvertently sent through the outputs when the device is switched on. All levels can be altered to acceptable degrees after the device is turned on.

3. Plug all necessary instruments and equipment into the device’s various inputs as required. This may include line

signal devices, such as keyboards and drum machines, keyboards, etc.

4. Plug any necessary equipment into the device’s various outputs. This could include ampliﬁ ers and speakers, devices.

5. Plug the supplied AC cable into the AC inlet on the back of the device and a power outlet of a suitable voltage.

6. Turn the power switch on.

7. Insert the provided USB cord into the Helix Board 17's

USB jack, and your personal computer's USB jack. Provided your computer is switched on and complies with the requirements described later in this manual, your computer should automatically recognize your Helix interface, please refer to page 14 of this manual.

as well as microphones and/or guitars,

monitors, signal processors, and/or recording

Board 17. For more information on using the USB

Channel Setup

1. To ensure the correct audio level of the input channel

selected, each of the Mixer’s Channel’s ON but-

should be disengaged (which should turn the

tons corresponding and

try again), as well as the SOLO buttons on each channel "To Ctrl Rm" button.

2. Ensure it similar to the signal that will be sent when in

to common crophone

at the same level the performer normally would

sing during

a performance; if a guitar is plugged into the channel, it

normally would be (and so on). This ensures levels

completely accurate and avoids having to reset

are them late

3. Move

4. Turn the Channel ON.

5. Pushing

6. Set

7. This channel is now ready to be used; you can stop

the Channel fader and Maser fader to around

the 0 dB mark.

Pre/Post

fader signal of the activated channel to the Control

preRoom

/ Phones mixing bus and the Level Meter will

display the Control Room

the gain so the level meter indicates the audio

level is around 0 dB.

making the audio signal.

You can now repeat the same process for other channels if you wish.

LED indicator off – otherwise go back

and on the master section, and the 2T RTN

the channel you wish to set has a signal sent

use. For example, if the channel has a mi-

connected to it, then you should speak or

then the guitar should also be strummed as

the channel’s SOLO button and releasing the

button on the CTRL RM section will send the

’s signal properties.

HELIX BOARD 17

Making Connections

Inputs and Outputs

1. XLR Microphone Jacks

These jacks accept typical 3-pin XLR

for balanced and unbalanced

inputs signals. They can be used in conjunction professional condenser, dynamic or ribbon microphones – with standard XLR male connectors, and feature low noise preampliﬁ ers, serving for crystal clear sound replication. The Helix Board 17 mixer features ﬁ ve standard XLR microphone inputs.

NB. When these inputs are used with condenser microphones, the Phantom Power should be activated. However, when Phantom Power is engaged, single ended (unbalanced) microphones and instruments should not be used on the Mic inputs.

2. Line Inputs

This input accepts typical 1/4" TRS balanced or TS unbalanced inputs, for balanced or unbalanced signals. They can be used in conjunction with a wide range of line level devices, such as keyboards, drum machines, electric guitars, and a variety of other electric instruments.

3. Stereo Channels

The Helix Board 17 features a few balanced stereo channels, channels features two 1/4" phone jacks, for the addition of various line level input devices, such as electronic keyboards, guitars and external signal processors or mixers. If monaura l a stereo input, simply plug ph on e left leave bare. The signal will be duplicated to the right due jack normalizing.

with microphones – such as

thrown in for maximum ﬂ exibility. Each of these stereo

you wish to use a

device on

the device’s 1/4"

j ac k into the

(mono) input and

the right input

to the miracle of

5. AUX Returns

These 1/4" TS inputs are for the return of audio to the

Board 17 mixers, processed by an external signal

Helix processo ditional using When

r. If really needed, they can also be used as ad-

inputs. The feed from these inputs can be adjusted

the AUX Return controls on the face of the mixer.

connecting a monaural device to the AUX Return 1 and 2 inputs, simply plug a 1/4" phone jack into the left (mono)

input, and the signal will appear in the right as

This, however, does not work for the AUX Return 3

well. input on the .

NB. When any device is plugged into the mixer’s corresponding EFX

inputs (AUX Return 3), the mixer’s internal digital effect engine

Return is then disabled.

6. Foot Switch Jacks

These ports are for the inclusion of a foot switch, used to

remotely adjust properties of the built-in Digital Effect

processo

r. The uppermost jack is used to turn the Digital Effects on and off, where the lower jack is used for adjusting tap delay properties.

7. Phones

This stereo output port is suited for use with headphones, allowing

monitoring of the mix. The audio level of this output

is controlled using the Control Room / Phones control.

8. Record Out

These outputs will accommodate RCA

able to be fed to a variety of

cables, recording mini recording ers,

devices. Also included is a

stereo jack for the addition of

devices such as MD play-

and even laptop computers. The

Trim Control ensures you can adjust

output level of these controls to

the match to your recording level.

9. 2T Return

These RCA inputs are used to con-

t the mixer with parallel external

nec devices, Cassette mini like portable CD, MD and MP3 players.

such as sub mixers or CD,

Players. Also included are

stereo jacks, for receiving signals from audio devices

4. AUX Sends

Th es e 1/4" TRS balanced outputs may be used to connect to an external signal processor, or even to an ampliﬁ er and speakers (depending on your desired settings) from the mixer. The

from the AUX Sends is controlled by the AUX master

signal controls (on the face of the mixer), which obtain their signal from the AUX controls located on each channel strip. The Helix Board 17 features 2 AUX sends.

NB. When sending unbalanced signals from this output, a 1/4" TRS stereo plugs must be used and have the ring-pin disconnected, as to avoid damaging this mixer.

10. Main Out

These two 1/4" TRS phone jacks will output the ﬁ nal balanced ing main ampli as

stereo line level signal sent from the main mix-

bus. The primary purpose of these jacks is to send the

output to external devices, which may include power

ﬁ ers (and in-turn, a pair of speakers), other mixers,

well as a wide range of other possible signal processors

(Equalizers, Crossovers, etcetera).

HELIX BOARD 17

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