Soundcraft NOTEPAD 102, NOTEPAD 124, NOTEPAD 124 FX USER GUIDE

USER GUIDE

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

soundcraft@harman.com

This equipment complies with the EMC Directive 2004/108/EC and LVD 2006/95/EC

IMPORTANT

Please read this manual carefully before using

your mixer for the rst time.

Soundcraft is a trading division of Harman International Industries Ltd. Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of the vendor. Soundcraft shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from the use of information or any error contained in this manual.

No part of this manual may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, mechanical, optical, chemical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of Soundcraft.

Harman International Industries Limited Cranborne House Cranborne Road POTTERS BAR Hertfordshire EN6 3JN UK

Tel: +44 (0)1707 665000 Fax: +44 (0)1707 660742 http://www.soundcraft.com

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

Contents

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 4 SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE 5 INTRODUCTION 8 THE 60-SECOND GUIDE 10 WIRING UP 12 BLOCK DIAGRAMS 16 MONO INPUT CHANNELS 18 STEREO INPUT CHANNELS 20 MASTER SECTION 22 FX PROCESSOR OVERVIEW 24 FX OPERATION 25 REVERBS 25 DELAYS 26 MODULATED EFFECTS 26 EFFECTS DATA CHART 27 USING YOUR NOTEPAD 124/124FX CONSOLE 28 MARK-UP SHEETS 30 DIMENSIONS 32 APPLICATIONS 33 TYPICAL CONNECTING LEADS 34 TYPICAL SPECIFICATIONS 36 WARRANTY 37 GLOSSARY 38

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Read these instructions.

Keep these instructions.

Heed all warnings.

Follow all instructions.

Do not use this apparatus near water.

Clean only with a dry cloth.

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

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

Do not defeat the safety purpose of a polarised or grounding type plug. A polarised 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 t into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet

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

Only use attachments/accessories specied by the manufacturer.

Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table specied 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.

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

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

This Class A digital apparatus meets the requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil numérique de la Classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty please read this

section carefully.

SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE

For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty all text marked with these symbols should be read carefully.

WARNINGS

The lightning ash with arrowhead symbol, is intended to alert the user to the presence of un-insulated ‘dangerous

voltage’ within the product’s enclosure that may be of suf-

cient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to

persons.

CAUTIONS

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is in-

tended to alert the user to the presence of important operat-

ing and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature

accompanying the appliance.

NOTES

Contain important information and useful tips on the opera-

tion of your equipment.

HEADPHONES SAFETY WARNING

Contain important information and useful tips on headphone

outputs and monitoring levels.

Recommended Headphone Impedance >= 32 Ohms.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

Refer all servicing to qualied 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 fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

Note: It is recommended that all maintenance and service on the product should be carried out by Soundcraft or its authorised agents. Soundcraft cannot accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by service, maintenance or repair by unauthorised personnel.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture.

Do not expose the apparatus to dripping or splashing and do not place objects lled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus.

No naked ame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.

Batteries (battery pack or batteries installed) should not be exposed to excessive heat such as sunshine, re or the like.

Ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items such as newspapers, table cloths, curtains etc.

The Soundcraft Notepad mixer must only be connected through the AC power adapter supplied, which must have one of the following part numbers:

Notepad AC Adaptor UK C089.202100 Notepad AC Adaptor EU C089.202101 Notepad AC Adaptor US C089.202102 Notepad AC Adaptor JP C089.202103 Notepad AC Adaptor AZ C089.202104

The mains supply disconnect device is the mains plug. It must remain accessible so as to be readily operable when the apparatus is in use.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

If any part of the mains cord set is damaged, the complete cord set should be replaced. The following information is for reference only.

The wires in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following code:

Earth (Ground): Green and Yellow (US - Green/Yellow) Neutral: Blue (US - White) Live (Hot): Brown (US - Black)

As the colours of the wires in the mains lead may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows:

The wire which is coloured Green and Yellow must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter E or by the earth symbol.

The wire which is coloured Blue must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter N

The wire which is coloured Brown must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter L

Ensure that these colour codes are followed carefully in the event of the plug being changed.

This unit is capable of operating over a range of mains voltages as marked on power supply unit.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing a Soundcraft Notepad mixer. The Notepad range is a compact mixing solution, bringing you all the features and performance that you expect from a Soundcraft product, at an extraordinarily low price.

The packaging in which your Notepad arrived forms part of the product and should be retained for future use.

Owning a Soundcraft console brings you the expertise and support of one of the industry’s leading manufacturers, and the results of over 3 decades of supporting some of the biggest names in the business. Our knowledge has been attained through working in close contact with leading professionals and institutes to bring you products designed to get the best possible results from your mixing.

Built to the highest standards using quality components and surface mount technology, the Notepad is designed to be as easy to use as possible. We have spent years researching the most efcient methods of control for two key reasons:

1) Engineers, musicians, writers and programmers all need to have very few interruptions to the creative process; our products have been designed to be almost transparent, allowing this process to breathe.

2) Whether performing or recording, time is a very expensive and rare commodity. Our products have a user interface which is recognised by millions to be the industry standard because of its efciency.

The sonic qualities of our products are exemplary - some of the same circuits which are used on our most expensive consoles used on International tours are employed in the Notepad, bringing you the great Soundcraft quality in a small format console without compromise.

You will also be glad to know you have a one year warranty with your product from the date of purchase. The Notepad has been designed using the latest high-end software based engineering packages. Every console from Soundcraft has been proven to stand up to all the stress and rigours of modern day mixing environments.

The entire Notepad is manufactured using some of the most advanced techniques in the world, from high density surface mount PCB technology, to computer aided test equipment able to measure signals well outside the range of normal hearing.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES

Although your new console will not output any sound until you feed it signals, it has the capability to produce sounds which when monitored through an amplier or headphones can damage hearing over time.

Please take care when working with your audio - if you are manipulating controls which you don’t understand (which we all do when we are learning), make sure your monitors are turned down. Remember that your ears are the most important tool of your trade, look after them, and they will look after you. Most importantly - don’t be afraid to experiment to nd out how each parameter affects the sound - this will extend your creativity and help you to get the best from your mixer and the most respect from your artists and audience.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

THE 60-SECOND GUIDE (NOTEPAD 124FX shown)

To get you working as fast as possible, this manual begins with a 60-second guide. Here you can nd quick information on any feature of the console.

6 7

r a o

1 MIC INPUT (XLR) Connect Microphones here. If you are using a condenser mic, ensure phantom

power is supplied by pressing the switch at the top of the master section.

WARNING: Do Not apply Phantom Power before connecting a microphone.

2 LINE INPUT (¼” Jack) Connect Line level sources here, e.g. Synth, Drum Machine, DI etc. 3 GAIN CONTROL Adjust this to increase or decrease the level of the incoming signal. 4 PEAK LED This is used to indicate that the signal is close to distorting (clipping) on a specic

channel.

5 EQ STAGE Adjust these controls to change the signal tone (the character of the signal). 6 HPF The high-pass lter reduces the level of bass frequencies only. Use this in live PA

situations to reduce stage rumble or ‘popping’ from mics.

7 FX SEND /AUX SEND Adjust this control to change the level of the signal to the FX processor (Notepad

124FX) or an artist’s monitors (headphones/in-ear/stage monitors, Notepad 124).

8 PAN or BAL CONTROL Use the PAN control to position the signal within the stereo eld. On Stereo inputs,

BAL adjusts the balance of the stereo signal within the mix.

9 INPUT CHANNEL FADER This is used to control the level fed to the Mix Bus outputs. 10 +4/-10 SWITCH Used to set the input sensitivity of the stereo input channels (not Notepad 102) 11 MIX OUTPUTS (¼” Jack) Connect these to your analogue recording device, or to your amplication system. 12 MASTER FADER This fader controls the overall level of the mix outputs.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

13 MAIN METERS These show the level of the mix outputs. This signal is replaced by the FX or 2-Track

return signals depending upon the settings of the 2-Track and FX switches.

14 MONITOR OUTPUTS These are used to feed your monitoring system. This can be directly connected to (¼” Jack) powered monitors, or indirectly via an amplier to standard monitors. 15 MONITOR/PHONES CONTROL This controls the level of the signal sent to your monitoring system and signal sent

to the headphones jack socket.

16 HEADPHONES (¼” Jack) Plug your headphones into this socket. Recommended headphones impedance is

32 ohms or greater.

17 FX SEND/AUX OUTPUT This output can be used to send the channel signal to an artist’s monitors (¼” Jack) (headphones/in-ear/stage monitors). or external FX processor). 18 STEREO INPUTS These inputs can be used to connect line level stereo inputs from keyboards, sound (¼” Jack, and RCA on modules, samplers, computer based audio cards etc. The Notepad 102 has RCA Notepad 102) Phono sockets on inputs 7&8 and 9&10, set to -10dBV. 19 2-TRACK INPUTS 20 2-TRACK CONTROLS Use these to control the 2 Track signal. The TO MON switch sends the signal to the

21 RECORD OUTPUTS You can connect these to the inputs of your recording device. (RCA Phono) 22 PHANTOM POWER Press this to switch the phantom power (48V) on for condenser microphones.

WARNING: Do Not apply Phantom Power before connecting a

(RCA Phono)

You can connect the playback from your recording device or CD/MP3 player here.

monitor outputs and phones, whilst the TO MAIN switch sends it to the main mix.

microphone.

Notepad 124FX only

23 FX TO MAIN The rotary control regulates the signal level being fed from the FX processor to the

MAIN MIX L and R outputs.

24 FX TO MON The FX TO MON switch routes the post-FX signal to the monitor/headphones outputs.

25 FX PROCESSOR See the information starting on page 24.

Notepad 102 and 124 only

26 AUX SEND The rotary control regulates the signal level being

27 AUX TO MON The AUX TO MON switch routes the AUX signal to the

fed from the AUX bus to the AUX OUTPUT socket (and MON output when selected).

Monitor/Headphone outputs.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

WIRING UP

Mic Input

The MIC input accepts XLR-type connectors and is designed to suit a wide range of BALANCED or UNBALANCED low-level signals, whether from delicate vocals requiring the best low-noise performance, or drum kits needing maximum headroom. Professional dynamic, condenser or ribbon mics are best because these will be LOW IMPEDANCE. While you can use low-cost HIGH IMPEDANCE mics, you do not get the same degree of immunity to interference on the microphone cable and as a result the level of background noise may be higher. If you turn the PHANTOM POWER on, the socket provides a suitable powering voltage for professional condenser mics.

DO NOT use UNBALANCED sources with the phantom power switched on. The voltage on pins 2 & 3 of the XLR connector may cause serious damage. BALANCED dynamic mics may normally be used with phantom power switched on (contact your microphone

manufacturer for guidance)

The input level is set using the input GAIN knob. The LINE input offers the same gain range as the MIC input, but at a higher input impedance, and is 15dB less sensitive. This is suitable for most line level sources.

WARNING ! Start with the input GAIN knob turned fully anticlockwise when plugging high level sources into the LINE input to avoid overloading the input channel or giving you a very loud surprise!

Line Input

Accepts 3-pole 6.35mm (1/4”) jacks, or 2-pole mono jacks which will automatically ground the ‘cold’ input. Use this input for sources other than mics, such as keyboards, drum machines, synths, tape machines or DI boxes. The input is BALANCED for low noise and immunity from interference, but you can use UNBALANCED sources by wiring up the jacks as shown, although you should then keep cable lengths as short as possible to minimise interference pick-up on the cable. Note that the ring must be grounded if the source is unbalanced. Set the input level using the GAIN knob, starting with the knob turned fully anticlockwise. Unplug any MIC connection when using the LINE input.

Stereo Inputs 5-6. 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 (Notepad 124 Stereo inputs 3-4 and 5-6 (Notepad 102)

These accept 3-pole 6.35mm (1/4”) jacks, or 2-pole mono jacks which will automatically ground the ‘cold’ input. Use these inputs for sources such as keyboards, drum machines, synths, tape machines or as returns from processing units. The input is BALANCED for low noise and immunity from interference, but you can use UNBALANCED sources by wiring up the jacks as shown, although you should keep cable lengths as short as possible to minimise interference pick-up on the cable, but the ring must be grounded if the source is unbalanced. Mono sources can be fed to both paths by plugging into the Left jack only.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

Stereo Inputs 7-8, 9-10 (Notepad 102)

These accept unbalanced RCA Phono plugs and are optimised for -10dBV operation from line sources such as a CD or MP3 player. They can accept signals from balanced sources by using an appropriate cable, see pages 34/35 for cable wiring details.

Mix Outputs

The MIX outputs are on 1/4” TRS jacks, wired as shown, and incorporate balanced line drives, allowing long cable runs to balanced ampliers and other equipment.

Aux/FX SEND Outputs

The Aux/FX Bus outputs are on 3-pole 6.35mm (1/4”) jack sockets, wired as shown on the left, and are impedance balanced.

MONITOR Outputs

The MONITOR outputs are on 3-pole 6.35mm (1/4”) jack sockets, wired as shown on the left, and are impedance balanced.

Headphones

The PHONES output is a 3-pole 6.35mm (1/4”) jack, wired as a stereo output as shown, ideally for headphones of 32Ω or greater. 8Ω headphones are not recommended.

We recommend you check out the range of headphones available from AKG, at www.akg.com

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

Polarity (Phase)

You will probably be familiar with the concept of polarity in electrical signals and this is of particular importance to balanced audio signals. Just as a balanced signal is highly effective at cancelling out unwanted interference, so two microphones picking up the same signal can cancel out, or cause serious degradation of the signal if one of the cables has the +ve and -ve wires reversed. This phase reversal can be a real problem when microphones are close together and you should therefore always take care to connect pins correctly when wiring audio cables.

Grounding and Shielding

For optimum performance use balanced connections where possible and ensure that all signals are referenced to a solid, noise-free earthing point and that all signal cables have their screens connected to ground. In some unusual circumstances, to avoid earth or ground ‘loops’ ensure that all cable screens and other signal earths are connected to ground only at their source and not at both ends.

If the use of unbalanced connections is unavoidable, you can minimise noise by following these wiring guidelines:

• On INPUTS, unbalance at the source and use a twin screened cable as though it were balanced.

• On OUTPUTS, connect the signal to the +ve output pin, and the ground of the output device to -ve. If a twin screened cable is used, connect the screen only at the mixer end.

• Avoid running audio cables or placing audio equipment close to thyristor dimmer units or power cables.

• Noise immunity is improved signicantly by the use of low impedance sources, such as good quality professional microphones or the outputs from most modern audio equipment. Avoid cheaper high impedance microphones, which may suffer from interference over long cable runs, even with well-made cables.

Grounding and shielding is still seen as a black art, and the suggestions above are only guidelines. If your system still hums, an earth/ground loop is the most likely cause. Two examples of how an earth loop can occur are shown below.

Soundcraft Notepad User Guide

+ 30 hidden pages