Radial Engineering McBoost User's Guide

FEATURES

1. OUTPUT: Balanced male XLR

output – used to connect to your mixer
or preamp and supply power to the
McBoost from standard 48V phantom.

2. INPUT: Balanced XLR female
input used to connect your dynamic
or ribbon mic.

3. LOAD: 3-position switch lets you
adjust the impedance to optimize the
signal transfer from your microphone.

4. HI-PASS: 3-position high-pass lter

(HPF) lets you reduce low frequency
content to eliminate troublesome bass
resonance.

5. GAIN: Variable control lets you
boost the gain of your microphone
from +4dB to +25dB.

6. NO SLIP PAD: This provides
electrical isolation and plenty of ‘stay­put’ friction to keep the McBoost in
one place.

7. BOOk END DESIGN: Steel I-Beam
enclosure protects the connectors and
switches for added durability.

8. HEAVY DUTY XLRs: Glass lled

nylon construction with extra large
nickel-silver pin contacts.

9. MILITARY-GRADE PCB: Double­sided PCB with plated through-holes
is bolted to welded steel standoffs.

7 8 9

Radial Engineering Ltd.

1 2

3

McBoost

®

SPECIFICATIONS

Power ......................................................... 48V phantom

Circuit type .................................................. Class-A discrete J-FET

Maximum boost .......................................... 25dB

Gain adjustment ......................................... Variable from +4dB to +25dB

Frequency response ................................... From 3Hz to 30kHz

Phase shift .................................................. Less than 1º at 20Hz

Distortion .................................................... 0.001% at -30dBu

Noise .......................................................... -120dB

High pass lter ............................................ 3-position switch

Variable impedance ....................................3-position switch

Construction ............................................... Steel

Size (W, H, D) .............................................2.75” x 4.25” x 1.75” (70mm x 108mm x 44mm)

RADIAL ENGINEERING 3 YEAR TRANSFERABLE LIMITED WARRANTY

4 5 6

Owners Manual McBoost™ Owners Manual

™

RADIAL ENGINEERING LTD. (“Radial”) warrants this product to be free from defects in material and
workmanship and will remedy any such defects free of charge according to the terms of this warranty.

Radial will repair or replace (at its option) any defective component(s) of this product (excluding nish and

wear and tear on components under normal use) for a period of three (3) years from the original date of
purchase. In the event that a particular product is no longer available, Radial reserves the right to replace
the product with a similar product of equal or greater value. In the unlikely event that a defect is uncovered,
please call 604-942-1001 or email [e-mail] to obtain an RA number (Return Authorization
number) before the 3 year warranty period expires. The product must be returned prepaid in the original
shipping container (or equivalent) to Radial or to an authorized Radial repair center and you must assume
the risk of loss or damage. A copy of the original invoice showing date of purchase and the dealer name
must accompany any request for work to be performed under this limited and transferable warranty. This
warranty shall not apply if the product has been damaged due to abuse, misuse, misapplication, accident

or as a result of service or modication by any other than an authorized Radial repair center.

THERE ARE NO EXPRESSED WARRANTIES OTHER THAN THOSE ON THE FACE HEREOF AND
DESCRIBED ABOVE. NO WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE SHALL EXTEND BEYOND THE RESPECTIVE WARRANTY PERIOD DESCRIBED ABOVE OF
THREE YEARS. RADIAL SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR LOSS ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. THIS WAR­RANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS, WHICH
MAY VARY DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHERE THE PRODUCT WAS PURCHASED.

Radial Engineering Ltd.

True to the Music

®

True to the Music

McBoost

Ribbon Mic Booster

User Guide

Radial Engineering Ltd.
1588 Kebet Way, Port Coquitlam BC V3C 5M5

tel: [phone] • fax: [phone]
[e-mail] • www.radialeng.com

McBoost™ User Guide - Part# R870 1012 00 • © Copyright 2015 all rights reserved

Specications and appearance are subject to change without notice.

www.radialeng.com

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing the Radial® McBoost™ microphone signal boost-

er. We are condent that once you plug it in, you will discover that the

McBoost will elegantly increase the output of your dynamic and ribbon mics
without introducing noise, distortion or unwanted coloration.

Although the McBoost is plug & play easy to use, we suggest you take a
few minutes to read the manual in order to fully maximize its potential. After

you have done so, if you nd yourself looking for additional insight, please

visit the FAQ page on the web site. This is where we post questions from

users and updates on product development. If you still nd yourself in need

of more info, feel free to send an email to [e-mail] and we will
do our very best to reply in short order.

Now get ready to elevate your mics to the highest summit!

OVERVIEW

The McBoost is a specially designed amplier expressly made to increase

the signal level of low output microphones. The McBoost uses standard 48

volt phantom for powering. The magic lays in the ultra efcient circuit and

subsequent effort in hand-selecting each individual part so that the device
meets our demands.

Once connected, you will enjoy plenty of gain to boost your microphone so

that you can enjoy the following benets:

1. Improved signal to noise

When driving long cables, low output microphones are signicantly

more susceptible to noise from power cables, transformers, and
dimmers than line level signals. Boosting the signal near the mic will
improve the signal-to-noise ratio and deliver greater clarity.

2. More reach
Dynamic mics are less sensitive than condensers. This generally
makes them less appealing for low output sources. On the other
hand, dynamic mics introduce character that can be quite appealing.
By boosting the signal without noise, you can elevate your favorite
dynamic mics to a new level.

MAkING CONNECTIONS

Before making connections, make sure all levels are turned down in order to
prevent power-on and connection transients from damaging more sensitive
components such as tweeters.

Set the GAIN to the MIN position, set the 3-posi­tion LOAD switch to the middle 15k position and

the 3-position HI-PASS switch to the top ‘at’

position. This is a good place to start before
experimenting with the switches.

Connect your mic to the McBoost input using a standard XLR cable. The McBoost
is wired to the AES standard with pin-1 ground, pin-2 (+), and pin-3 (-). Connect
the output to your mixer or preamp using a second cable. The McBoost derives
its power from the 48 volt phantom power in your mixer or preamp. Turn the
phantom power ON before turning up the volume. Slowly increase the volume on
your input channel to test. It is a good idea to keep the volume at a low listening
level during testing. This way, should a cable not be fully inserted, you will not
encounter a loud pop when you assert the connection.

ADjUSTING THE FILTER

One of the most practical features on the McBoost is the high-pass lter. This

3-position switch is used to eliminate excessive low frequency resonance

which can muddy up the signal and make instruments and voice more difcult

to mix. Cleaning up the bottom end also improves the transient response
and lowers distortion.

A high-pass lter is often used on acoustic instruments as

it will eliminate the modulation that can occur when mixing
these instruments together. It can also be effectively used
to diminish the proximity effect of a microphone when a
vocalist is too close to the mic. On bass, it can get rid of
excessive low frequencies can that can muddy up the mix.

Simply try the various settings to nd the one that suits the

mic, source and musical program.

ADjUSTING THE GAIN

Due to all the possible microphones that could be con­nected to the McBoost, a variable GAIN control has been
added to allow you to adjust the level to suit. The gain
ranges from +4dB to +25dB for lower output microphones.

APPLICATIONS

With all the exibility the McBoost has, it is simple to use for both live and

studio recording. The reinforced steel enclosure will keep it safe on the road,
while performing well every time in the studio.

Recording studio with a ribbon mic

Use the McBoost to increase the gain of your vintage ribbon mic to maximize

headroom and minimize noise. The ultra-clean Class-A J-FET circuit amplies

without adding distortion or noise.

3. Higher output
Low output devices such as vintage ribbon microphones, old dynamics,

and even early passive direct boxes do not produce sufcient level

for many preamps and mixers. Pre-boosting the signal enables you

to use regular studio gear with these nicky devices.

Once you start using the McBoost, you will quickly become addicted. So try
to control yourself!

McBoost

Owners Manual McBoost™ Owners Manual McBoost™ Owners Manual

™

SETTING THE LOAD

The McBoost is equipped with a 3-position load switch. This lets
you experiment by changing the input impedance on various
mics to see how they react. To get the lowest noise, the input
impedance is usually set higher than the mic’s characteristic
impedance. Lowering the impedance will often roll off the bass

Live Stage with a dynamic mic

Clean up the signal from long cable runs or noisy mixers and capture more
detail than ever before. The McBoost works great on any dynamic mic to

accentuate the signal. Activate the high-pass lter to eliminate excessive

bass resonance.

response. Since there are hundreds of types of microphones,
there are no set rules. So have fun and experiment.

Radial Engineering Ltd.Radial Engineering Ltd. Radial Engineering Ltd.

Long Cable