Shure FP410 User Manual 2

Shure Incorporated
222 Hartrey Avenue
Evanston IL 60202-3696 U.S.A.

Model FP410 User Guide

FP410 PORTABLE AUTOMATIC MIXER

The Shure Model FP410 is an automatic microphone mixer
designed for usein a wide variety of multi-microphone speech
pickup applications. Shure IntelliMix delivers flawless auto­matic mixing by combining three unique functions:

 Noise--Adaptive Threshold,

 MaxBus, and

 Last Mic Lock --On.

Noise--Adaptive Threshold distinguishes between constant
background noise (such as air conditioning) and rapidly
changing sound (such as speech).This function continuously
adjusts the activation threshold so that only speech levels
louder than the background sound will activate an FP410
channel.

MaxBus eliminates the poor audio quality that results when
a talker is picked up by more than one microphone. It does this
by controlling the number of microphones that may activate for
a single sound source. With MaxBus, one talker will activate
only one FP410 channel, even if multiple microphones are
“hearing” that talker.

Last Mic Lock--On maintains a seamless audio mix by keep­ing the most recently activated microphone open until a newly
activated microphone takes its place. Without Last Mic Lock-­On, a long pause in conversation may allow all microphones to
turn off, and it may sound as if the audio signal has been lost.
Last Mic Lock--On ensures that background ambience will al­ways be present.

Multiple miking situations—with a number of talkers partici­pating—have always presented problems for the audio techni ­cian. If too few mics are used, the coverage of each talker may
vary, with one talker (nearest the mic) being louder and clearer
than the next. Talkers farthest from the mics will sound
“echoey” and reverberant, as very little of the direct sound from
their mouths reaches the microphones. If too many mics are
used, there’s more background noise and reverberation pick­up, as well as less gain before feedback if a sound reinforce­ment (PA) system is used.

It’s somewhat like having multiple video cameras all fo­cused on the same subject. If these camera signal are com­bined, the result is a blurred image. When multiple micro­phones are open for a single talker, the result is a blurred audio
signal. But it’s often not practical for someone to turn mics on
when they are needed and off when they are not. The answer
is the FP410 automatic microphone mixer.

The FP410 automatically attenuates (turns down) any mi­crophone not being used, greatly reducing the excess rever ­beration and feedback problems associated with the use of
conventional multiple microphone and mixer techniques.
When a new talker starts to speak, the FP410 immediately se­lects and silently activates the most appropriate microphone.
Shure IntelliMix electronic s ignal processing enables the
FP410 to provide clear, natural voice pickup. The FP410 sig­nificantly reduces the problems of “boomy” or “muddy” sound,
insufficient sound level (because of feedback or “howling”),
and operator errors. In fact, operator errors are virtually elimi­nated because the FP410 needs no operator or technician for
continual adjustment—once s et up, it is completely self--suffi­cient.

The FP410 has numerous applications in video production
and audio recording, broadcasting, and sound reinforcement.
In any speech pickup application where multiple microphones
are required, the FP410 dramatically improves audio quality.
Switching from manual to automatic operation allows an indi­vidual talker’s voice to rise above the background noise and
reverberation to become clearer and more intelligible.

Each FP410 handles up to four microphones or line--level
signals. Any high quality, low--impedance, balanced micro­phone using a dynamic or condenser* transducer (including
wireless and shotgun types) can be used. Additional FP410
mixers can be interconnected using the rear--panel link jacks.
Complete manual operation is also available using a front--pa­nel selector switch.

The FP410 is supplied with optional bumpers (feet) for use
on horizontal surfaces, a short cable for linking two FP410 mix­ers, and a rack--mounting k it for installation in a standard 483
mm (19--inch) audio equipment rack.

The FP410 (100 to 120 Vac operation; line fuse 0.1 A) is also
supplied as the Model FP410E (230 Vac operation; line fuse

0.05 A), and its line cord contains a Schuko ac plug.

*Self--powered or operable on 14 or 48 Vdc phantom power.

Features

 Reliable, quick--acting, noise--free microphone selection----

automatically adjusts to changes in background room noise

 Front --panel channel gain and master controls operate as in

conventional mixers

 Selectable hold time keeps microphones on during short

pauses in speech

E2000, Shure Incorporated
27B8392 (TB)

U.S. Patent 4,658,425; other patents pending

PrintedinU.S.A.

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MASTER

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PULL FOR 1 KHZ TONE

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-- 2 4 -- 2 0 -- 1 6 -- 1 2 -- 8 -- 4 0 + 4 + 8 + 1 2 + 1 6

-- 2 0 -- 1 0 -- 7 -- 5 -- 3 -- 2 -- 1 0 + 1 + 2 + 3

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BATTERY TEST MANUAL AUDIO LIMITER IN

100%

PEAK

VU

PHONES

OFF ON

PULL FOR MONITOR

TAPE OUT

MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINE MIC LINEPHANTOM

OUT IN

MONITOR IN

LINK

OFF ON

MODEL FP410

FIGURE 1

 Selectable Off--Attenuation control for seamless operation

 Automatic gain adjustment as additional microphones are

activated

 Defeatable “Last Mic Lock--On”circuitkeeps at least one mi-

crophone on at all times—maintains acoustic ambiance and
prevents confusing background sound changes

 Wide, flat frequency response and low distortion up +18

dBm output

 Linking capability for systems containing over 25 mixers

and over 100 microphones

 LED indication of microphone channel mix levels, output

level, and limiter action

 Automatic muting prevents annoying thumps and loud-

speaker damage when unit is turned on and off

 Transformer--balanced inputs and outputs switchable to

line-- or microphone--level

 Separate monitor input and tape output (aux --level) jacks

 Front --panel headphone monitor jacks with level control

 Front --panel auto--disable switch for manual operation

 Operates from ac mains voltage or two 9 V batteries

 Switchable 14 V and 48 V phantom powering for condenser

microphones

 Underwriters Laboratories Listed and Canadian Standards

Association listed as Certified (FP410 only)

CONTROLS, CONNECTORS, INDICATORS

(See Figure 1)

1. Microphone Channel Gain Controls 1--4: At “0” position, mi-
crophone channel is removed from operation. Turning control

432 1

clockwise activates microphone channel and allows adjust­ment of microphone level.

2. Input Normal Green LED: Should flicker with normal speech
levels.

3. Input High Red LED: Should flicker only on loud speech
peaks.

4. Flat (

)/Low--Cut ( ) Slide Switches: Provide low--fre­quency rolloff to reduce undesirable low--frequency signals
such as wind noise.

5. MASTER Rotary Control: Determines the level of the com­bined input signals at Mic/Line, Tape and Phones outputs.
PULL FOR 1 kHz TONE position activates 1 kHz tone oscilla­tor (tone level is determined by Master control setting). Oscilla­tor signal appears at all outputs. When oscillator is not in use,
knob should be pushed in.

6. PEAK/VU Output Level Meter: Meter function is selected by
adjacent PEAK/VU slide switch. In PEAK switch position, me­ter indicates peak signal levels. In VU position, it indicates av­erage signal levels, simulating a true VU meter.

7. BATTERY TEST Momentary Slide Switch: Operates in con-
junction with PEAK/VU Meter to indicate battery condi­tion.With POWER s witch on and switch in momentary--on po­sition, new set of batteries lights all green LEDs. Number of
green LEDs lit indicates approximate battery life remaining
when alkaline batteries are used. NOTE: POWER LED begins
flashing when total battery supply voltage drops to 10 Vdc (one
green LED lit).

8. MANUAL/AUTO Slide Switch: Selects manual or automatic
microphone operating mode. In MANUAL position, unit oper­ates as a conventional microphone mixer. In AUTO position,
unused microphones automatically turn off.

2

9. LIMITER IN Slide Switch: Activates fast--acting, peak--res­ponding limiter circuit to cut overload distortion during loud
program intervals without affecting normal program levels.
The red limiter LED indicates limiting action.

1

10. PHONES

/4--inch and 3.5 mm Phone Jacks: Permit moni­toring mixer output through most stereo or mono headphones.
PULL FOR MONITOR switch applies signal from rear--panel
MON IN 3.5 mm phone jack to headphones amplifier. When
switch is activated, mixer output signal does not appear in
headphones output. PHONES rotary control determines
headphone level in either case.

11. POWER Slide Switch: Applies ac or battery power to mixer
circuitry. Adjacent green LED indicates power--on status and,
in battery operation, flashes when total battery voltage drops
to 10 Vdc.

12. 100--120 VAC, 50/60 Hz 8W 3--Pin Power Connector: For
connection to 100 to 120 Vac,50/60 Hz power outlets (230 Vac
in the FP410E).

13. OUTPUT 3--Pin Male XLR Connectors: For connection to
one or two amplifiers, recorders or other mixers. Output signal
levels are individually switchable to Line level or low--impe­dance Mic level by adjacent individual MIC/LINE slide
switches. Both jacks provide the same signal information but
are electrically isolated.

14. TAP E OUT 3.5 mm Phone Jack: Provides output signal to
feed unbalanced aux--level inputs of most tape recorders and
amplifiers.

15. LINK IN/OUT 8--Pin miniature DIN Jacks: Using link
cables, these jacks permit virtually unlimited number of FP410
mixers to be stacked to achieve additional input capacity.
Jacks carry audio signals, MaxBus and Last Mic Lock --On in­formation.

16. MON IN 3.5 mm Phone Jack: Sends external Aux or Line-­level source to headphones amplifier without interrupting other
mixer functions. Jack is activated by pulling front--panel PULL
FOR MONITOR knob outward.

17. PHANTOM ON/OFF Slide Switch: Controls application of
14 Vdc phantom power for condenser microphones to all in­puts. With switch on and INPUT MIC/LINE switches in MIC po­sition, +14 Vdc is applied to pins 2 and 3 of each input XLR con­nector. NOTE: Phantom power can be internally set to 48 Vdc
(see Modifiable Functions section). When using other than
Shure condenser microphones, verify that voltage and source
resistance requirements are compatible (see Specifications).

18. INPUT 1-- 4 Female 3--Pin XLR Connectors: Permit con-
nection to balanced, low--impedance microphones or line--le­vel sources. Adjacent MIC/LINEslide switches adjust inputs to
match source levels.

19. Battery Compartment: Accepts two 9--volt batteries for re­mote operation or as automatic backup in the event of ac pow­er failure.

INSTALLATION AND OPERATION
Mixer Installation

Install the FP410 as follows. If the unit is to be placed on a
horizontal surface, attach the four supplied bumpers to the cor­ners of the chassis bottom to prevent marring the surface.

If the FP410 is to be rack--mounted in a standard 483 mm
(19--inch) audio equipment rack, remove the two Phillips head

screws from each FP410 side panel, place the rack “ears” in
position at the sides (rack--mount holes facing forward), and
secure the ears with the previously removed Phillips head
screws. NOTE: The rack ears are asymmetrical; the wider ear
should be on your right (as you face the front panel) to permit
access to the battery compartment while the FP410 is in the
audio equipment rack. Install the rack--mounted FP410 in the
equipment rack and secure it with the four supplied rack -­mount screws.

Make electrical connections as follows.

1. For battery operation, compress the release latches of the
battery drawer with thumb and forefinger, and withdraw the
drawer from the compartment. Observing battery polarity
markings, insert two fresh 9--volt batteries in the drawer
slots. With the Power switch on, s lide the Battery Test switch
to the right to determine battery condition. IMPORTANT:
Battery operating life is reduced when microphones are
phantom--powered—especially by 48 Vdc phantom power­ing. For ac operation, connect the power cord to a 100 to 120
Vac, 50/60 Hz source (FP410E: Connectto a 230 Vac, 50/60
Hz source).

2. Connect the microphones and/or line--level signal sources
to the Mic Input connectors (use conventional 2--conductor
shielded cables). Adjust Mic/Line switches as required for
incoming signal level.

3. If phantom --powered condenser microphones are used,
turn on the FP410’s Phantom Power s witch. NOTE: With
condenser microphones other than Shure, verify that volt­age and source resistance requirements are compatible.

4. Connect one or both of the FP410 Outputs to the following
mixers, amplifiers or recorders. Make certain each Output
Mic/Line switch is in the proper position for the desired out­put levels.

5. If an unbalanced aux--level output is needed, connect it to
the Tape Out jack.

6. If additional FP410 mixers are to be linked to increase the
number of microphone inputs, connect them by means of
the Link In and Link Out jacks. Connect the LINK OUT of the
first mixer to the LINK IN of the next mixer, and so on. Leave
the LINK IN jack of the first mixer and the LINK OUT jack of
the last mixer unconnected. NOTE: Jacks are for linking
only, not for audio inputs or outputs.

7. If headphone monitoring of the FP410 mixed signal is re­quired, connect mono or stereo headphones to one of the
front--panel Phone jacks (

1

/4--inch or 3.5 mm). Adjust the
Phone control knob for the desired loudness (after setting
the microphone Channel and Master Gain controls accord­ing to Operation section).

8. To monitor an external signal source, connect it to the rear-­panel Mon In jack and pull the Phones control knob outward.
Adjust the Phones control and/or the external source level
control for the desired loudness.

3

Operation

1. Turn on the Power switch and set the Manual/Auto switch to
Manual.

2. Set the Peak/VU meter to Peak or VU as desired.

3. The 1 kHz internal tone oscillator can be used to help align
the following equipment levels (master mixer, amplifier, re­corder, etc.) to the output level of the FP410.The tone oscil­lator is activated by pulling the Master gain control outward.
Its level at the FP410 output is set by the Master gain con­trol. After setting equipment levels, turn off the tone oscilla­tor by pushing the Master gain control inward.

4. “Talk” the microphone connected to the FP410 Channel 1
input, and slowly raise the Channel 1 Gain control to the
point where the green LED flickers regularly with normal
speech, and the red LED only occasionally with louder
speech peaks.

5. Set the other FP410 channel gains in the same manner.

6. Set the Flat (

)/Low--Cut ( ) switches adjacent to each
Gain control as required. The low--cutposition reduces pick­up of low--frequency room noise.

7. Set the Manual/Auto switch to Auto. In about one second,
unused microphone inputs will turn off and the level of an in­dividual talker’s voice will rise above the background noise
and reverberation to become clearer and more intelligible.

8. Adjust the FP410 Master Gain control for the desired output
level, as indicated by the Peak or VU meter, or by the follow­ing equipment.

9. The FP410 is now ready for operation.

USING AN EQUALIZER/FEEDBACK
CONTROLLER WITH AN AUTOMATIC MIXER

When setting up a sound system which has an outboard
equalizer or feedback controller in the signal chain, set the
FP410 to MANUAL. This activates all microphone inputs, so
every possible feedback path is open. With the FP410 in
MANUAL mode, equalize the sound system and/or “Ring Out”
the room to set the feedback controller.

After equalization is complete, set the FP410 to AUTO­MATIC mode. Remember that the input of an automatic mixer
drops by 3 dB every time the number activated inputs doubles.
When using an FP410 in MANUAL mode, the master output
drops by 9 dB when all 8 inputs are activated. Conversely, it
will rise by 9 dB when switched back to AUTOMATIC mode.

MODIFIABLE FUNCTIONS

The FP410 is ready for automatic or manual operation as
supplied. Additional versatility is provided by easily accessible
switches visible when the battery compartment is removed.
Note that the switches are all in the “up” position as supplied;
changes are made by moving the switch or s witches down­ward. The switch positions are illustrated by a label below the
battery compartment (see Figure 2).

VU Meter (Switch No. 1). Change the VU meter, supplied cal-

ibrated for +4 dBm = 0 VU, to +8 dBm = 0 VU by moving this
switch downward. (This switch does not affect calibration of
the LED output level meter in the Peak position.)

Limiter Threshold (Switch Nos. 2, 3). Change the limiter

threshold, the output level at which limiter action begins, from
the factory--set +16 dBm to either +8 dBm, +4 dBm or 0 dBm
output level by moving these switches as shown in Figure 2.

Off--Attenuation (Switch No. 4). Change the off-- attenua-

tion from 13 dB to infinite (
With the 13 dB setting, an unused microphone is 13 dB lower in
level than when it is activated. With the
microphone is completely off.

) by moving this switch downward.

 setting, an unused

Hold Time (Switch No. 5). Change the hold time, the duration

of time an activated microphone (which is not locked on) re­mains on after the talker stops talking, from 0.4 seconds to 1.0
second by moving this switch downward.

Last Mic Lock--on Defeat (Switch No. 6). The last mic

lock--onfeature keeps the most recently activated microphone
open until a newly activated microphone takes its place. It can
be defeated so that all microphones automatically turn off after
the hold time by moving this switch downward.

Phantom Power (Switch No. 7). Phantom power for con-

denser microphones, normally 14 V, can be changed to 48 V
by moving this switch downward. CAUTION: Make certain the
condenser microphones to be used are c ompatible with the
selected voltage. If the microphones can operate properly with
14 V phantom power, that position should be used to avoid ex­cessive battery drain.

INTERNAL MODIFIABLE FUNCTIONS

METER

0VU

+4

LIMITER

THRESHOLD

+16

OFF-

ATTEN

13 dB IN0.4 SEC +14 V

HOLD

TIME

LAST MIC

LOCK-ON

PHANTOM

POWER

+8 OUT1.0 SEC +48 V

+8

+4

0

∞

MODIFIABLE FUNCTION SWITCHES

FIGURE 2

4

WARNING

Voltagesin this equipment are hazardous to life. No us­er--serviceable parts inside. Refer all servicing to quali ­fied service personnel.

In addition to the user--modifiable functions described
above, the FP410 is designed so that many of its functions can
be modified by a qualified technician. Instructions on imple­menting these modifications are provided in the FP410 Ser­vice Manual which is obtainable from Shure. These modifica­tions are:

1. Change Monitor In sensitivity.

2. Change Tape Out level.

3. Change Off--Attenuation value.

4. Change low--cut filter frequency.

5. Change Peak meter attack and decay time constants.

6. Change 0 VU Meter calibration to level other than +4 or +8

dBm.

7. Change Limiter threshold beyond the positions permitted by

Switches 2 and 3 (see Figure 2).

8. Change to permanently lock one or more microphones on.

9. Change to permanently prevent one or more microphone

channels from activating.

10. Change the preset Hold Time values.

11. Change the Monitor In jack to an Aux In jack function for

cascading mixers or creating a “mix--minus”.

12. Change to provide reduced--level program feed in head -

phones when Pull For Monitor switch is activated.

13. The FP410 can be changed to operate from 230 Vac,50/60

Hz power. Similarly, the FP410E can be changed to operate

from 100 to 120 Vac, 50/60 Hz mains voltage.

WARNING

The safety certifications of the FP410 and FP410E do not

apply when the operating voltage is changed from the

factory setting.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Limiter

The front--panel Limiter switch turns on a fast--acting,peak-­responding limiter circuit that cuts overload distortion during
loud program intervals without affecting normal program lev­els. When the switch is In (operating), the FP410 output is lim­ited to approximately +16 dBm. Increasing the individual or
Master gain controls will increase the average output and the
amount of limiting. The limiter threshold can be changed from
its factory setting as described in the Modifiable Functions
section. The front--panel red LED adjacent to the Limiter
switch indicates limiter action.

Linked Mixers

The FP410 provides four microphone inputs. If additional
mic inputs are needed, more FP410s (over 25, if necessary)
can be “linked” using link cables of the type supplied. A setup
like this can provide over 100 mic inputs. As long as the link
jacks of all mixers are connected (out --to--in, s equentially,
leaving one Link In and one Link Out jack unconnected), the
automatic mixing functions will be shared by all units.

When FP410 mixers are linked, Shure Intellimix control
functions are also linked so that a single multi--microphone
system is created. All input signals (except the Monitor In sig­nal) appear at all linked mixer outputs. There is no master/
slave relationship.

The output--related controls and functions of each linked
mixer are post --link and do not affect the signals appearing at
other linked mixer outputs. Each mixer’s output controls may
be set differently to obtain different results. These controls are:
Master level control, 1 kHz Tone Oscillator, Peak/VU Meter
switch, Limiter In and Limiter Threshold switches, Phone level
and Monitor control, and Off--Attenuation switch. NOTE: The
actual off--attenuation in the 13 dB switch position increases,
as more mixers are linked. This reduces excessive noise and
reverberation contributed by the increased number of typically
“off” microphones.

The input--channel--related controls and functions of each
linked mixer are pre --link and do not affect the input channels of
other linked mixers. The effect of these input controls is re­flected in the mixed output signals of all the linked mixer out­puts. These controls are: Input channel levels controls and
Low--Cut switches, Manual/Auto switch, Phantom On/Off
switch, Phantom Voltage Selector switch, Hold Time s witch,
and Last Mic Lock--On switch.

Link Cables

Additional link cables can either be purchased (Shure Part
No. 95A1143; 305 mm—12 in.) or constructed using desired
lengths of high--quality, 7--conductor, shielded cable (pin 1:
shield) with 8--pin mini DIN connectors on each end. The maxi­mum length of a link cable will depend on the grounding con­siderations of this unbalanced line.

FP410 and Mixing Consoles

The FP410 can be used in conjunction with large mixing
consoles to provide automatic mixing for talk shows, panel dis ­cussions, and nightly news shows. Large consoles have chan­nel insert jacks so that external signal processing devices can
be patched into individual channel signal paths. These jacks
are normally line level.

The FP410 can be fed from these insert jacks and the
FP410 output then fed to a submaster fader on the console.
This arrangement allows the operator complete control of
each channel via the console’s input control strip, while the the
FP410 keeps the number of open microphones to a minimum,
relieving the operator of having to open and close mic chan­nels.

SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES AND REPLACEMENT
PARTS

Battery Tray Assembly 90GJ2600.....................

Bumper (Foot) Kit (4 in kit)) 90S8100..................

Control PC Board Assembly 90B8368A................

Knob, Master & Phones 95A8238.....................

Knob, Channel Gain 95B8238........................

Line (Power) Cord (FP410) 95A8231..................

Line (Power) Cord (FP410E) 95A8247.................

Link Cable 95A1143.................................

Left Rack--Mount Bracket 53A8252....................

Right Rack--Mount Bracket 53A8253..................

5

SPECIFICATIONS

Measurement Conditions (unless otherwise specified): Line
voltage 120 Vac, 60 Hz (FP410E: 230 Vac,50/60 Hz); full gain;
1 kHz, one channel activated; output terminations: Line 600τ,
Mic 150
sleeve); Auto mode

Frequency Response (controls centered)

Voltage Gain

Inputs

Outputs

Total Harmonic Distortion (controls centered [5], +4 dBm at

Line output)

τ, Tape 50 kτ, Phones 200τΕtip--sleeve and ring--

25 Hz to 20 kHz, +0.5,--2 dB (any input to any output)

Output

Input Line Mic

Low--im­pedance

mic

τ)

(150

Line 42 dB -- 8 d B 46 dB 23 dB

Monitor — — 9dB —

Input

Mic

Line

Monitor

Output

Mic Any low--im-

Tape

Head-

phones

Line

93 dB 43 dB 97 dB 74 dB

Impedance

Designed

for use with

19--600τ 900τ

10 kτ 66 kτ

1kτ 25 kτ

Impedance

Designed

for use with

pedance

mic input

>10 kτ 1kτ

8--200τ,

τ rec-

200

ommended

600τ 100τ

Head-

phone

Actual (In-

ternal)

Actual (In-

ternal)

0.5τ

500τ

Tape

Input Clip­ping Level

--15 dBV

To >+26

dBV

+21 dBV

Output

Clipping

Level

--31 dBV (28
mV) min.

--2 dBV (800

mV)

+6 dBV (2.0

V)

+19 dBm

(6.9 V) min.

0.25%,50Hzto20kHz

Hum and Noise

Equivalent Input Noise --128.5 dBV...................

Equivalent Input Hum and Noise --128.5 dBV..........

Output Noise (300 Hz to 20 kHz; channel controls full coun­terclockwise)

Master full counterclockwise --88 dBV..............

Master full clockwise --71 dBV.....................

Output Hum and Noise (20 Hz to 20 kHz; channel controls
full counterclockwise)

Master full counterclockwise --74 dBV..............

Master full clockwise --70 dBV.....................

Common Mode Rejection

65 dB minimum with input of --20 dBV at 100 Hz

Polarity

Pin 2 of balanced inputs and outputs are in phase with tip
connections of unbalanced inputs and outputs

Input Channel Activation

Attack Time 4 msec.................................

Hold Time 0.4 sec (switchable to 1.0 sec).............

Decay Time 0.5 sec................................

Off--Attenuation

13 dB, fixed (switchable to
creases as additional mixers are linked)

Overload and Shorting Protection

Shorting outputs, even for prolonged periods, causes no
damage. Microphone inputs are not damaged by signals up
to 3 V; Line and Monitor inputs by signals up to 20 V

Low--Cut Filters

6 dB/octave rolloff below 170 Hz

Limiter

Threshold +16 dBm (switchable to +8, +4, 0 dBm)......

Attack Time 3 msec.................................

Recovery Time 350 msec...........................

Indicator Lights when limiting is occurring..............

Meter

VU Meter Calibration: 0 VU = +4 dBm (switchable to +8
dBm)
Peak Meter:

Rise Time: 2.0 msec time constant (0.9 msec/LED step)

Decay Time: 180 msec time constant (83 msec/LED step)

Tone Oscillator

10%, THD <0.5%

1kHz,

Phantom Power

14 Vdc open--circuit, 1 k
in Mic position only (internally switchable to 48 Vdc, 4.5 k
series resistance)

)(single mixer; attenuation in-

τ series resistance, input switches

τ

6

Operating Voltage

AC Operation: 100 to 120 Vac rated nominal, 80 to 132 Vac
fully operational (FP410); 230 Vacrated nominal, 160 to 264
Vac fully operational (FP410E), 50/60 Hz, 8 W
DC Operation: 18 Vdc nominal at 25 mA typical no --signal,
33 mA typical at 0 VU (+4 dBm) output with 600
minimum; battery life approximately 12 hours with alkaline
batteries at +4 dBm output in continuous use at room tem­perature; two 9--volt batteries (type NEDA 1604A)

Temperature Range

Operating --18
Storage --29

 to 57 C(0 to 135 F).............

 to 71 C(--20 to 160 F)...............

τ load; 6 Vdc

Questions &Answers

Questions about your FP410 installation? This section lists
the most common questions asked about Shure’s automatic
microphone systems. Maybe your question is among the fol­lowing. If not, contact Shure’s Customer Service Department.

Q. Why don’t I get any sound output from my FP410?

A. Assuming that your power amp, tape deck, speakers, etc.
are good, possibly it’s because:

 The Channel or Master Gain controls are turned down,

 A microphone is not connected,

 A rear--panel Mic/Line input or output switch or the Phan-

tom On --Off switch is improperly set,

 The FP410 isn’t plugged in or doesn’t have batteries in-

stalled, or

 The Power switch isn’t on.

Check these items and make the required correction.

Q. Still doesn’t work. Why?

A. Maybe you have a defective microphone or cable. While lis­tening to headphones plugged into one of the front--panel
Phone jacks, try replacing the suspect microphone or cable
with one known to be good.

Q. Why does a microphone turn on or off erratically, causing
speech dropouts?

A. Excessive room noise (such as from air--handling or audio-­visual equipment) can be a cause. Reduce the room noise, the
proximity of the noise to any mic, and/or the talker--to--mic dis­tance. A loud talker close to their microphone or with their
Channel Gain control set too high can sometimes inhibit prop­er microphone activation by a “weaker” talker who is too far
from their microphone or has their Channel Gain control set
too low. Balance the microphones by repositioning and/or re­setting the Channel Gain controls in accordance with the Op-
eration section.

IMPORTANT: Best results are generally obtained when the
Last Mic Lock--On is not defeated and the Off--Attenuation is

Overall Dimensions

44.5 mm H x 368 mm W x 210 mm D (1
ches)(not including feet)

Net Weight

2.27 kg (5 lb)

Certifications

FP410: Listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., listed as
Certified by Canadian Standards Association.
FP410E: Conforms to European Union directives, eligible to
bear CE marking;VDE GS-certified to EN 60 065; meets Eu­ropean Union EMC Immunity Requirements (EN 50 082-1,

1992).

13 dB (modifiable function switches up). Difficult situations
may be aided by changing the Hold Time from 0.4 to 1.0 sec­ond (modifiable function switch down).

Q. Why am I getting howling through my loudspeakers?

A. For the same reason that howling is present in any PA sys­tem: your mics are picking up the speaker sound and reampli­fying it. Move the speakers or mics, or turn down the gain con­trols, to avoid the howling. Automatic operation does provide
more output level before howling than manual operation, but
the system still can howl.

Q. Why does the FP410 output sound distorted?

A. The Channel, Master or Phones Gain control may be set too
high. Set the Channel Gain according to the Operation section.
Set the Master Gain to avoid excessive red LED indications on
the Output Level meter, or switch the Limiter in. Turn down the
Phones control. Check the following equipment levels.

Q. Why does the speech level go up when I switch from Manu­al to Automatic operation?

A. This is normal and proper operation for any automatic mix­er.When switched to Automatic, the FP410 attenuates any in­put channel not being used. Internally, this removes the inac­tive channels from the FP410 mix bus. This action increases
the perceived level of any active input channel. For example,
the audio gain increase will be 6 dB when going from four to
only one activated microphone channel.

Q. Why is one of my four mics very noisy?

A. Assuming the mic is operating properly (you can check this
by substituting with another mic), you probably have a con­stant noise source such as air--moving equipment or a defec­tive fluorescent light ballast in the trouble area. This ambient
noise source can be unnoticed until it’s picked up by a mic:
then it’s extremely annoying. If you can’t repair,turn off or lower
the noise source, try relocating the mic to eliminate or at least
lower the noise. If this is not possible, use the FP410 in the
Manual mode to avoid microphone activation problems and
accept the noisy output.

3

/4x141/2x81/4in-

7

BALANCED

MIC/LINE

INPUT

PHANTOM POWER

LINE

MIC

ATTEN

CHANNEL 1 (TYPICAL)

LOW-CUT CHANNEL LEVEL

CHANNEL

LEVEL

INDICATORS

INTELLIMIX

CONTROL

GATED

SIGNALS

MASTER LEVEL

1 kHz

OSCILLATOR

LIMITER/

INDICATOR

ATTEN

MIC

TAPE
OUT

32

Shure Incorporated

222 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston IL 60202-3696

Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

In Europe, Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

In Asia, Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

Internationally, Phone: [phone] FAX: [phone]

The Sound of Professionals...Worldwide



AUTO

MANUAL

CHANNELS 2,3,4

IN OUT

LINK JACKS

NON-

GATED

SIGNALS

MONITOR

IN

FP410 BLOCK DIAGRAM

LINE

MIC

LINE

PEAK/VU/BATTERY

HEADPHONES

LEVEL

BALANCED
MIC/LINE
OUTPUTS

METER

HEADPHONES

Français

L’appareil Shure modèle FP410E est un mélangeur de micro­phone automatique. Il est conçu pour être utilisé dans une large
gamme d’applications de prise de sons à partir de plusieurs micro­phones.
concept de fonctionnement sur lequel est basé le mélangeur mo­dèle FP410E. Il permet d’obtenir un mixage automatique sans dé­faut grâce à la combinaison des trois fonctions très particulières
suivantes:

tre un bruit de fond constant (tel que le bruit d’un système de clima­tisation) et un sons changeant rapidement (tel que la parole). Cette
fonction ajuste de façon continue le seuil d’activation pour que
seuls les niveaux de la voix dont l’intensité est plus élevée par rap­port à celle du bruit de fond mettent en fonction un canal du mélan­geur FP410E.

la voix d’un speaker est captée par plusieurs microphones à la fois.
Cette fonction accomplit ceci en contrôlant le nombre de micropho­nes qui peuvent être mis en fonction pour une source sonore uni­que. A vec la fonction MaxBus, un speaker ne met en fonction qu’un
seul canal du mélangeur FP410E même si plusieurs microphones
captent la voix de ce speaker.

tient un mixage sonore parfait en maintenant le fonctionnement du
dernier microphone mis en fonction jusqu’à ce qu’un autre micro­phone soit mis en fonction pour le remplacer . Sans la fonction Last
Mic Lock–On, l’interruption de la conversation pendant une longue
période risque d’entraîner l’arrêt de tous les microphones et on au­rait l’impression d’avoir perdu le signal sonore. La fonction Last Mic
Lock–On permet d’assurer en permanence la présence de l’am­biance d’arrière–plan.

certain nombre de speakers, ont toujours posés des problèmes
aux techniciens du sons. Si plusieurs micros sont utilisés, le signal
sonore peut varier en fonction de la proximité ou de l’éloignement
de chaque speaker par rapport au micro. En effet, la voix d’un spea­ker qui est plus proche du micro par rapport à un autre speaker qui
est plus éloigné d’un autre micro, est plus sonore et plus claire. Les
voix des speakers les plus éloignés des micros, sont résonantes et
réverbérantes car, une très faible partie de leur sons vocal direct
atteint les microphones. Si le nombre de micros utilisés est beau­coup plus important, le bruit de fond et la réverbération qui seront
captés sont également importants. Entre autre, le gain est réduit
avant le réaction (feedback) en cas d’utilisation d’un système de
sonorisation (amplificateur de puissance).

plusieurs caméras sont toutes focalisées sur un même sujet. Si les
signaux de ces caméras sont combinés, il en résulte une image
floue. Lorsque plusieurs microphones sont ouverts pour un seul
speaker, i l en résulte un signal sonore parasite. Cependant, il n’est
pas souvent pratique de mettre en fonction des micros lorsque leur
utilisation s’avère nécessaire et de les mettre hors fonction dans le
cas contraire. La solution à tous ces problèmes est apportée par le
mélangeur automatique FP410E.

dine) tout microphone qui n’est pas utilisé, réduisant énormément
l’excès de réverbération et les problèmes de réaction associés
avec l’utilisation de plusieurs microphones et les techniques de
mixage classiques. Lorsqu’un nouveau speaker commence à par­ler, le mélangeur FP410E sélectionne et met en marche immédia­tement et de manière silencieuse le microphone le plus approprié.
Le traitement du signal électronique selon le concept

Mix

Shure IntelliMix

•

Seuil adaptable au bruit,

•

MaxBus et

•

Verrouillage du dernier micro (Last Mic Lock–On).

La fonction du seuil adaptable au bruit peut faire la distinction en-

La fonction MaxBus élimine la mauvaise qualité sonore lorsque

La fonction Verrouillage dernier micro (Last Mic Lock–On) main-

Les situations où plusieurs micros doivent être utilisés par un

Ce phénomène est en quelque sorte similaire à une situation où

Le mélangeur FP410E atténue automatiquement (met en sour-

permet au mélangeur FP410E de fournir une prise de sons na-

correspond au nouveau et remarquable

Shure Intelli-

turelle et nette. Le mélangeur FP410E réduit énormément les pro­blèmes de sons “sourd” ou “trouble”, les problèmes dûs à un niveau
de sons trop faible (à cause de la réaction ou du “hurlement”) et
ceux des erreurs commises par les opérateurs. En fait, les erreurs
des opérateurs sont virtuellement éliminées, car le FP410E ne fait
appel ni à u n opérateur ni à un technicien pour subir un réglage con­tinuel — après la mise au point, il devient entièrement auto–
suffisant.

Le FP410E peut faire l’objet d’une multitude d’applications dans
le domaine de la production vidéo et de l’enregistrement sonore, la
radiodiffusion et de l’amplification du sons. Quelque soit le domai­ne d’application de prise de sons où plusieurs microphones sont
requis, le FP410E améliore la qualité du sons de manière substan­tielle. Le passage du fonctionnement manuel au fonctionnement
automatique, permet à la voix d’un speaker de s’élever au–dessus
du bruit de fond et de la réverbération pour devenir beaucoup plus
claire et plus intelligible à la fois.

Chaque FP410E supporte au maximum quatre microphones ou
signaux du niveau de la ligne. Il est possible d’utiliser n’importe
quel type de microphone symétrique de haute qualité et de faible
impédance qui utilise un transducteur condensateur* ou dynami­que (y compris les microphones canon et sans fils). Des mélan­geurs FP410E supplémentaires peuvent être interconnectés à l’ai­de des jacks de connection du panneau arrière. L’utilisation du
commutateur de sélection du panneau avant représente égale­ment une option d’exploitation manuelle complète.

Le mélangeur FP410E est fourni avec des tampons–
amortisseurs (pieds) optionnels utilisables sur des surfaces plates,
un câble court pour connecter deux mélangeurs FP410E et un kit
de montage en baie pour son installation dans une baie standard
de 483 mm pour les équipements audio.

Le FP410E est prévu pour alimentation à 230 V c.a. (fusible de
ligne de 0,05 A). Son cordage se termine par une prise c.a. Schuko.

*Automoteur ou alimenté en tension fantôme de 14 ou 28 Vcc.

Caractéristiques

•

Fiable, à action rapide, sélection de microphones sans bruit — à

réglage automatique en fonction des variations du bruit de fond

de la salle.

•

Les commandes de l’organe de contrôle principal et du gain du

panneau avant fonctionnent de façon similaire que celles des

mélangeurs classiques.

•

Un temps d’arrêt sélectif permet de maintenir les microphones

en fonction pendant les pauses courtes durant un discours.

•

Blocage d’atténuation sélectif dont le résultat est un fonctionne-

ment parfait.

•

Réglage automatique du gain au fur et à mesure que des micro-

phones supplémentaires sont mis en fonction.

•

Le circuit Dernier micro verrouillé (“Last Mic Lock–On”) permet

de maintenir en fonction un microphone au moins à tout moment

— maintient l’ambiance acoustique et empêche les variations

perturbatrices du bruit de fond.

•

Réponse à de larges fréquences linéaires, et faible distorsion

pour des signaux de sortie pouvant atteindre +18 dBm.

•

Capacité de liaison des systèmes ayant plus de 25 mélangeurs

et plus de 100 microphones.

•

Indication à base de diodes électroluminescentes (LED) des ni-

veaux de mixage des canaux, des niveaux du signal de sortie et

de l’action du limiteur.

•

L’amortissement automatique permet d’empêcher la gêne due

au crépitements et l’endommagement des haut–parleurs lors-

que le système est mis en/hors fonction.

9