Shure SCM810 User Manual

SCM810/SCM810AZSCM810/SCM810AZ

EIGHT-CHANNEL MICROPHONE MIXEREIGHT-CHANNEL MICROPHONE MIXER

User Guide

©2006, Shure Incorporated

27A8868 (Rev. 1)

Printed in U.S.A.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DESCRIPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

SYSTEM FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

OPERATING PRINCIPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

FRONT PANEL FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

REAR PANEL FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

DIP SWITCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

INSTALLATION AND SYSTEM SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

RACK MOUNTING THE MIXER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

SCM810/E CONNECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

OUTPUT LIMITER SETTINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

EQUALIZER FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

USING AN EQUALIZER/FEEDBACK CONTROLLER WITH AN AUTOMATIC MIXER . . . . 7

BASIC MIXER OPERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

NETWORKING MULTIPLE MIXERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

GLOBAL/LOCAL FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

LINK CABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ADVANCED FUNCTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

LOGIC CONNECTION SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

SUGGESTED LOGIC APPLICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

VOLTAGE SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

INTERNAL MODIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

! IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS !

1. READ these instructions.

2. KEEP these instructions.

3. HEED all warnings.

4. FOLLOW all instructions.

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 wider 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.

This symbol indicates that dangerous voltage constituting a
risk of electric shock is present within this unit.

WARNING:

safety certifications do not apply when the operating voltage is changed from the factory setting.

Voltages in this equipment are hazardous to life. No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. The

11. ONLY USE attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

12.

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. DO NOT expose the apparatus to dripping and splashing. DO NOT put objects filled
with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus.

USE only with a 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.

This symbol indicates that there are important operating and
maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying this unit.

2

DESCRIPTION

The Shure Model SCM810/E is an eight-channel automatic microphone
mixer designed for use in sound reinforcement, audio recording, and
broadcast applications. The SCM810 dramatically improves audio quality
in any application where multiple microphones are required. Any low-im­pedance dynamic or condenser microphone (including wireless) can be
used with the SCM810/E. Multiple SCM810 mixers can be linked to other
SCM810/E mixers, as well as to Shure Models FP410, SCM410, SCM800,
and AMS8100 mixers.

SYSTEM FEATURES

• Fast-acting, noise-free microphone selection that automatically
adjusts to changes in background room noise

• Automatic gain adjustment as additional microphones are activat­ed

• Last Mic Lock-On circuit that maintains ambient sound

• Adjustable low-frequency rolloff and high-frequency shelving for
each channel

• Channel activation and clipping indicators

OPERATING PRINCIPLES

The operating concept behind the SCM810/E Automatic Mixer is Shure's
patented* IntelliMix

by combining three separate functions:

•

Noise Adaptive Threshold.

background noise (such as air conditioning) and changing sound
(such as speech) for each input channel. It continuously adjusts
the activation threshold so that only speech levels louder than the
background noise activate a channel.

®

circuitry. IntelliMix delivers seamless automatic mixing

Distinguishes between constant

Each input channel has a two-band equalizer and three logic terminals. The
equalizer reduces unwanted low-frequency audio pickup and makes differ­ent microphone types-lavaliers, boundary and handheld-sound similar. The
logic terminals can be used to control external devices.

The SCM810/E operates on 100-120 Vac power; the SCM810E operates
on 220-240 Vac power. Each mixer is supplied with a power cord,
rack-mounting hardware, and a link cable.

• Peak-responding output limiter with selectable thresholds and
LED indicator

• Active balanced microphone-level XLR inputs and an active bal­anced Mic/Line level XLR output

• Aux-level input with manual level control

• Front-panel headphones output with level control

• Linking capability for up to 400 microphones

•

MaxBus.

for a single sound source. One talker activates only one channel,
even if multiple microphones “hear” that talker.

•

Last Mic Lock-On.

phone open until another microphone is activated. Without Last
Mic Lock-On, a long pause in conversation would cause all micro­phones to turn off, which would sound as if the audio signal had
been lost. Last Mic Lock-On ensures that background ambience
is always present.

Controls the number of channels that may be activated

Keeps the most recently activated micro-

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FRONT PANEL FEATURES









MODEL SCM810 FRONT PANEL

FIGURE 1

 Microphone Channel Gain Controls 1–8: Allows adjustment of

microphone gain.

 Input LED 1–8: Lights green when channel is active; lights red at 6 dB

below clipping level.

 Low-Cut Filter 1–8: Recessed screwdriver adjustment provides

adjustable low-frequency rolloff (high pass) to reduce undesirable
low-frequency signals.

 High-Frequency Shelving Filter 1–8: Provides level boost or cut in

mid/high-frequency region to compensate for off-axis tone coloration,
or for cutting high-frequency sibilance.

 AUX Level Control: Sets the input level for aux-level equipment con-

nected to the adjacent 1/4-inch INPUT phone jack or rear-panel
1/4-inch AUX input.

REAR PANEL FEATURES









쐅



 Aux INPUT 1/4-inch Phone Jack: Mixes external auxiliary- or

line-level sources into output. This out is not automatic. Signal
appears at output of all linked mixers.

 MASTER Level Control: Determines the overall mix level.
 Output Level Meter: Nine-segment LED meter indicates peak output

signal level. Last LED indicates limiter action.

 PHONES Control and 1/4-inch Phone Jack: Permits monitoring of

mixer output through headphones. The PHONES knob controls head­phones output level.

쐅 POWER LED: Lights green when unit is powered.

쐈

쐉씈

씉

씊씋씌씍

SCM810 REAR PANEL

FIGURE 2

쐈 AC Power Connector and Rocker Switch: Connector supplies AC

power to unit when plugged into a power source: the rocker switch
turns the unit on.

쐉 Microphone Logic: DB-25 male connector interfaces with each

channel's GATE OUT, MUTE IN, and OVERRIDE IN logic terminals.
See the Suggested Logic Applications section. NOTE: THIS IS NOT
AN RS-232 PORT.

씈 DIP Switch: The 7-position DIP switch provides setup options for the

mixer (see DIP Switches section).

씉 LINK IN/OUT Jacks: Allow multiple mixers to be stacked for addi-

tional inputs. Up to 50 SCM810 mixers can be linked.

씊 LINE OUTPUT Removable Block Connector: Active balanced

line-level signal for connection to amplifiers, recorders or other mixers.
Output can be modified to microphone level (see Internal
Modifications).

씎

씋 DIRECT OUT 1/4-inch Phone Jacks: Provides non-gated aux-level

signal from each channel. Direct outs are wired pre-fader and pre-EQ.
Can be modified for use as a gated channel output, send/receive
insert point, or external speech gate for mixing consoles (see Internal
Modifications section).

씌 AUX/D.O./D.O. Switch: Located behind the Line Output connector,

this switch selects either aux input function or direct output function for
channel 8 Direct Out jack. Left switch position is AUX IN; center and
right positions are DIRECT OUT.

씍 INPUT 1–8 Removable Block Connectors: Active balanced micro-

phone- or line-level inputs.

씎 Input 1–8 MIC/PHM/LINE Switch: Located behind the removable

block connector, this switch selects operation at either micro­phone-level (left), microphone-level with 48 V phantom power (cen­ter), or line-level (right) signals.

4

DIP SWITCHES

The rear-panel DIP switch provides the following setup options. The posi­tions shown in bold type are the factory settings.

(MIXER

REAR

PANEL)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

MODIFIABLE FUNCTION SWITCHES

FIGURE 3

DIP SWITCH SW702 FUNCTIONS

Switch

Function

Switch Position

Number→

Switch Up Auto On 0.4 second 15 dB

Manual/Auto

1 2 3 4 5,6 7

Last Mic
Lock-On

Hold Time

NOTE: Switch positions and effects are shown in Figure 3 and also on the

mixer label.

DIP

SWITCH

SW702

Off-Attenuation

Level

Limiter

Threshold

5 Up
= Limiter off
6 Up

5 Down
= +8 dBm
6 Up

5 Up
= +16 dBm
6 Down

Link

Local/Global

Global

Switch Down Manual All mics off after

Manual/Auto: Automatic activation is defeated in the Manual position. In

Manual mode, functions as a standard 8x1 mixer.
Last Mic Lock-On: Last Mic Lock-On feature keeps the most recently ac-

tivated microphone turned on until a newly activated microphone takes its
place. When defeated, microphones turn off after their preset hold time.

Hold Time: Adjusts the time an activated microphone (which is not locked
on) remains on after the talker stops talking. Settings are 0.4 seconds or

1.0 second.

hold time

1.0 second

5 Down
= +4 dBm
6 Down

∞ (completely off)

Off-Attenuation: Changes the off-attenuation level from 15 dB to infinity
(∞). With the 15 dB setting, an unused microphone is 15 dB lower in level
than when it is activated. With the ∞ setting, an unused microphone is com­pletely off.

Limiter Threshold: Changes the output limiter threshold. Settings are
OFF (factory setting), +16 dBm, +8 dBm, or +4 dBm (see Internal Modifica-
tions for other threshold settings).

Link Global/Local: Determines whether each linked SCM810 output con­tains only its own program output, or that of all linked mixers (see Mixer
Linking for more information).

Local

5

INSTALLATION AND SYSTEM SETUP

RACK MOUNTING THE MIXER

To mount the SCM810 in a standard 483 mm (19-inch) audio equipment
rack, slide the mixer into the rack and secure it with the supplied Phillips
head screws, as shown in Figure 4. Use all four screws.

SCM810/E CONNECTIONS

Make audio connections as follows (see Figure 5).

1. Connect microphone- or line-level signal sources to the Channel Input
connectors (use conventional 2-conductor shielded cables).

2. Insert a screwdriver or other tool in the slot above each block connec­tor and adjust the input slide switch as required: microphone (left posi­tion), microphone with 48 V phantom power (center position), or line
level (right switch position).

3. Connect the SCM810 Line Level Output to the input of mixers, EQs,
amplifiers or recorders.

4. For headphones monitoring, connect headphones to the front-panel
1/4-inch PHONES jack.

5. Connect the power cord to 120 Vac (SCM810) or 230 Vac
(SCM810E). If the operating voltage is to be changed, refer to the
Internal Modifications section.

OUTPUT LIMITER SETTINGS

The output limiter prevents distortion during loud program peaks without af­fecting normal program levels. This prevents overloading of the devices
connected to the SCM810/E output.

RACK MOUNTING THE SCM810/E

TO STEREO OR MONO HEADPHONES

FROM AUX– OR LINE–LEVEL SOURCE

FIGURE 4

TO AMP/REC/MIXER INPUT (CH. 1–7)

FROM MIC/LINE SOURCE (CH. 1–8)

TO AMP/RECORD/MIXER INPUT
OR FROM AUX SOURCE (CH. 8)

MIXER OUTPUT TO AMP/REC/MIXER INPUT

TO LINKED SCM810 MIXERS

TO ADVANCED FUNCTION WIRING

TO 120 VAC POWER SOURCE

AUDIO CONNECTIONS

FIGURE 5

Increasing the individual channel or Master Gain controls will increase the
average output and, in turn, the amount of limiting. As supplied, the out-
put limiter is defeated. However, you can change the limiter threshold so
that the peak output level is +4, +8, or +16 dBm. Refer to the Internal Mod-
ifications section.

6