Sound Devices 302 User Guide
Compact Production Mixer
User Guide and Technical Information
Sound Devices, LLC
300 Wengel Drive
Reedsburg, WI 53959 USA
tel: +1 (608) 524-0625
fax: +1 (608) 524-0655
www.sounddevices.com
info@sounddevices.com
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302 Compact Production Mixer
User Guide and Technical Information
he 302 is the essential portable mixer for production companies and camera operators wanting to take
T
control of their audio. The 302 is stunning in size, fl exibility, control and performance; it is the most com-
pact and cost-effective battery-powered professional audio mixer in its class.
With important features to accommodate nearly any over-the-shoulder production, the 302 can interface
with any professional microphone, wireless system, or camera/recorder input. Its microphone inputs share
the same superb circuitry of all Sound Devices fi eld production tools.
With many of the controls of Sound Devices fl agship 442 mixer, the 302 has a complete feature-set in a
compact, functional design. All controls are accessible on its three main surfaces. Its high-effi ciency power
circuitry runs the mixer from either three internal AA batteries or external 5–18 VDC.
The 302 is part of Sound Devices family of fi eld production audio tools, which includes mixers, preamplifi ers, computer interfaces, recorders, and their accessories.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Quick Start Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Powering
Interconnection
Setting Output Gain Structure
Setting Input Levels
Monitoring
Front Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . .4
Input Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . .5
Output Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . .5
Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Mic/Line Level Selection
Gain (Trim)
Fader
Phantom and T- Microphone Powering
High-Pass Filters
Pan Switches
Input Limiters
Peak and Limit LEDs
Polarity Reverse - Input 2
Stereo Linking of Inputs 1 and 2
Inputs 4 & 5
Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
XLR Outputs
XLR Output Level
Tape Out (Mix Output)
Output Limiters
Headphone Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . .11
HP Monitor Selection
Headphone Level and Overload LED
Return Monitoring
Tone Oscillator/Slate Microphone . . . .12
Tone Oscillator
Slate Microphone
The Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Source
Scale
Ballistics
Illumination Intensity
Mixer Linking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Powering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Power Switch and LED
Internal Batteries
External DC Sources
Power Metering
Power Consumption
The Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Entering the Setup Menu
Setup Example
User Default
Output Limiter Adjustment
Specifi cations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Inputs
Outputs
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Warranty & Approvals . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Warranty
FCC Statement
CE Conformity Statement
Gain Structure and Interconnection . .20
Full Scale Tone
Setup Menu (v 1.0.3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
302 Compact Production Mixer
User Guide and Technical Information
QUICK START CHECKLIST
Proper setup of sound sources and input devices is quick and easy with the 302. Follow the steps outlined
below for basic interconnection.
Powering
1. Insert three AA-batteries with + side fi rst into the mixer battery tube.
2. Switch on the mixer power by sliding the power switch to INT. The power LED will illuminate solid
green with good batteries.
Interconnection
1. Connect the output XLR connectors of the 302 to the destination recorder, camera, or other input.
2. Connect microphones, wireless receivers, or other signal sources to the input XLR connectors.
3. Switch phantom or T-power on, as need by microphone sources.
Setting Output Gain Structure
1. Determine the required input level of the destination. If a line level connection is required, no further output level adjustment is needed on the 302. If the input level requires less than line level, such as microphone or a –10 dBu level, adjust the master output level accordingly (see Output Level Control).
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2. Turn on the 302’s tone oscillator. Adjust the input sensitivity on the destination device so that the 302
output is at an average level with suffi cient headroom to accommodate signal peaks. For many digital
cameras and recorders, this is often a range between –20 and –12 dBFS as read on the recorder or camera’s peak meter. With analog devices, setting input sensitivites so that tone is near 0 VU is typical.
Setting Input Levels
1. Select the overall level, mic or line, for the input channel.
2. Set the channel fader to the unity gain position.
3. Raise the gain control (push-up trim) while talk-testing inputs so that signal indicates on both the 302’s
level meter and the recorder/camera level meter.
Monitoring
1. Connect headphones to the headphone connector located on the input panel.
2. Set the headphone source to ST to monitor stereo program. Raise the headphone volume level to the
required level. NOTE: The 302 headphone output is capable of producing ear-damaging levels. Turn
down levels before switching headphone sources.
3. Monitor individual sources by moving the headphone selection switch to the 1, 2, or 3 positions.
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FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS
302 Compact Production Mixer
User Guide and Technical Information
45
2
3
678
1. Gain (Trim)
The coarse gain control. Sets the input sensitivity
so that the Fader can be used for fi ne gain control
with the channel fader.
2. Fader
The primary control for input adjusting level
during operation.
3. Pan Switch
Assigns the input channel to the output bus. Leftonly, Center (equal left and right), or Right-only.
4. Peak LED
When illuminated, indicates that the channel is
very near overload.
5. Limiter LED
When illuminated, indicates that the channel
limiter is operating and reducing channel gain to
prevent overload.
6. High-Pass Filter (Low Cut)
Three-position switch engages the high-pass fi lter. Used to reduce excessive low frequencies. 12
dB per octave at 80 Hz or 160 Hz. Center position
is off.
7. Polarity Reverse Switch – Input 2
When engaged, the polarity of Input 2 is reverse
(180° out-of-phase) with respect to inputs 1 and
3. Useful to fl ip the stereo image with MS stereo.
8. Stereo Link LED (Inputs 1 & 2)
Indicates that inputs 1 and 2 are linked as a
stereo pair. Controlled in the Setup Menu. In L/R
stereo link input 2 Fader controls overall stereo
level. When in MS position input 1 Fader controls Mid, input 2 Fader controls the amount of
stereo (Side) information.
9. Limiter Switch
Activates both input and output limiters. ON
is dual-mono limiter operation, LINK is stereo
operation. Output limiter threshold controlled in
Setup Menu.
9
11 12
10
14
15 16 1718
131
10. Output Meter
Sunlight-viewable, 20-segment LED meter. Calibrated in dBu when peak-reading.
11. Meter Brightness
Controls the brightness of the LED output meter.
Each push selects among four brightness levels.
12. Meter Ballistics
Toggles among the available meter ballistic
options: VU-only, peak-only, combo peak/VU,
peak-hold/VU.
13. Slate Mic/Tone Switch
Two-position switch activates the slate microphone in the left (momentary) position, or the
tone oscillator in the right (latched) position. Additional options available in the Setup Menu.
14. Headphone Selector Switch
Sets the signal source sent to headphones. Options include: input PFL 1, 2, 3; left output bus;
right output bus; Mono (summed left and right);
STereo master; RTN - stereo monitor return; MSmono; MS-stereo; RTN-MS.
15. Headphone Volume
Adjusts the overall volume of the headphones.
NOTE: the headphone output is capable of
ear-damaging levels. Take care when adjusting
among signal sources.
16. Headphone LED
Indicates overload of the headphone circuit and
RTN circuit.
17. Power Switch/LED
Three-position switch selects between internal
battery power or external DC sources. Power
LED illuminates when power is on. LED fl ashes
when voltage reaches low limit (see Powering).
18. Battery Check Button
Hold to show the internal and external battery
levels on the output meter. Battery level remains
for two seconds after button release.
302 Compact Production Mixer
User Guide and Technical Information
INPUT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS
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21
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19. Transformer-Balanced Inputs
Can be used unbalanced by grounding pin-3 to
pin-1 of the XLR connector. Pin-1 = ground; pin-2
= ‘hot’; pin-3 = ‘cold’.
20. Mic/Line Channel Switch
Selects the input level of the adjacent connector.
Mic level has 40 dB more gain than line level.
21. Phantom/DYNamic/T-Power Selection
Selects the microphone powering type of the
adjacent input. DYN position turns off all microphone powering. Mic powering is selected per
input.
OUTPUT PANEL DESCRIPTIONS
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23
NOTE: Use T-Powering only for T-Powered
microphones.
22. Phantom Voltage Selection
Selects between 48 V or 12 V phantom voltage
for the input channels. The three-position switch
uses two positions for 12 V—there is no difference between these positions.
23. Headphone Output
3.5 mm TRS stereo headphone output. Can drive
headphones from 8 to 2000 ohms to required
monitoring levels.
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26
29 28
24. XLR Master Outputs
Active-balanced outputs. Pin-1 = ground; pin-2 =
‘hot’; pin 3 = ‘cold’. Can be unbalanced by using
pin-2 for signal and pin-1 for ground.
25. Output Attenuation LED
When illuminated, indicates that the XLR output
connectors are set for a level other than the factory default of line level. See Setup Menu to set
XLR output levels.
26. Return Level (Channel 4/5 Level) Control
Adjusts the gain of the return feed to balance
program and monitor signals in headphones.
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32
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2527
27. Channel 4/5 Activation LED
When illuminated, indicates that the return connector is now set as an input 4 and 5 connections.
28. Tape Out / Mix Out
Unbalanced stereo output on TA3-type connector. Same program as master output. Pin-1 =
ground, pin-2 = left, pin-3 = right. Also used to
link to the Mix In of a 442 or 302.
29. Return (Channel 4/5) Input
Unbalanced stereo 3.5-mm input connector for
return monitor audio. 3.5-mm wired tip = left,
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302 Compact Production Mixer
User Guide and Technical Information
ring = right, sleeve = ground. Connection used
for inputs 4 & 5 when selected in Setup Menu.
30. Mix In
An input to the master bus designed exclusively to link the Tape Out/ Mix Out of 302, 442,
MixPre, or MP-2 to the 302 for additional inputs.
Pin-1 = ground, pin-2 = left, pin-3 = right. Shell
of TA3 connector must be grounded to pin-1 to
open connection.
31. Battery Tube
Holds three-AA batteries for internal powering.
Accepts alkaline, lithium, or NiHM rechargeable
cells.
32. DC Input
Accepts DC voltages from 5–18 VDC for mixer
powering. Four-pin Hirose connector wired
pin-1 negative (–), pin-4 positive (+). Ext DC is
completely isolated (fl oating) from the rest of the
circuitry.
INPUTS
The inputs of the 302 consist of three, full-featured microphone preamplifi ers. Each input has a wide gain
range to accommodate nearly all signal types. The 302 easily accepts signals from low-sensitivity ribbon and
dynamic microphones, medium level wireless and condenser mic outputs, and “hot” line-level signals.
302 inputs are transformer-balanced. The isolation characteristics of transformers are superior to other
balancing techniques for the hostile and uncontrolled environments of fi eld production. Transformers
provide galvanic isolation from the driving source, meaning there is no direct electrical connection. Signals
are “transformed” magnetically. The input transformers in the 302 use premium magnetic core material to
achieve high signal handling capability (especially at low frequencies) while keeping distortion to a minimum. Because of their inherently high common mode impedance, transformers are unrivaled by any other
type of input for common-mode noise rejection.
The inputs of the 302 can be used balanced or unbalanced. When unbalancing, ground pin-3 to pin-1 of the
XLR connector. There is no change in gain between unbalanced and balanced connections into the 302.
Mic/Line Level Selection
The Mic/Line switch on the input panel is used to select the general level for each input. Taking into account all gain stages, the 302 has 75 dB of available gain from mic input to line output. When inputs are set
to the LINE position, the input sensitivity is reduced by 40 dB.
Gain (Trim)
Like traditional mixing consoles, the 302’s input sensitivity is set using the Gain (trim) control. The Gain
control adjusts the input sensitivity so that the channel Fader can used near its unity, or 0, position. Once
set, the Gain is typically kept at the set level and all mixing is performed with the Fader control. The Gain
control features a pop-up knob so that it can be adjusted easily and then hidden from the mixing surface.
Fader
While both the Gain and the Fader control the level of an input, the Fader is the primary level control used
during mixer operation. The Gain can be thought of as a “coarse” level adjustment to be adjusted during
set up, and the Fader as a “fi ne” level adjustment to be adjusted during operation. With a properly set Gain,
the Fader can be set to its unity gain postion at 12 o’clock. With the Fader at unity, the dynamic range of
the mixer is maximized. By setting both the Gain control and Fader inputs with varied sensitivities can be
controlled with similar positions on the input Faders.
302 Compact Production Mixer
User Guide and Technical Information
Phantom and T- Microphone Powering
The 302 can provide either phantom power or T-power to each input and is selected individually. If neither
phantom or T-power are required, for instance with dynamic microphones, it is good practice to turn off
microphone powering (DYN position).
Phantom Power
Phantom powering is a fi xed DC voltage between 12 and 48 volts. This voltage is resistively applied to pin-2
and pin-3 of an XLR connector relative to pin-1. (Note that as there is no voltage difference between the
signal pins-2 and -3—a dynamic mic can operate just fi ne in the presence of phantom powering.)
When phantom is selected, the 302 can provide up to 10 mA to each input at 48 V, suffi cient for the most
power-hungry condenser microphones. When acceptable, using 12 V phantom is recommended to extend
battery runtime. Many microphones do not require 48 V phantom and can be properly powered from 12 V
phantom power. The phantom voltage level is globally selected for all inputs—either 12 V or 48 V.
T-Powering
T-powering is a microphone powering scheme used by several European condenser microphone manufacturers. Today, T-powered microphones are not as common as phantom powered microphones, but many are
still in regular use. Unlike phantom power, T-power resistively applies 12 V between the signal pins -2 and
-3. T-power can be selected for each input. The 302 provides positive T-power, where pin-2 on the three-pin
XLR connector has +12 volts relative to pin-3. When using “red dot” T-powered microphones (reverse polarity T-power) use a polarity-reversing adapter on the input, otherwise damage to the microphone may occur.
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NOTE: Phantom and T-powering are not interchangeable. Use T-powering only for T-powered microphones.
It is generally good practice to turn off phantom power when not using a phantom powered mic, as phantom power can capacitively couple noise into the mic inputs with poor mic cables. Also, turn phantom
power off when using ribbon microphones since an improperly wired cable can permanently damage the
microphone. The DYN (dynamic) position applies no voltage to the microphone input.
High-Pass Filters
Each channel of the 302 has a two-position high-pass fi lter. High-pass (or low-cut/low roll-off) fi lters are
useful for removing excess low frequency energy in audio signals. Wind noise is a common unwanted low
frequency signal and a high-pass fi lter is effective for reducing wind noise. For most audio applications
engaging the high-pass fi lter is benefi cial, since little usable audio information exists below 80 Hz, especially
for speech reproduction.
The 302’s high-pass fi lters features a 12 dB/octave slope with either 80 Hz or 160 Hz corner (–3 dB) frequencies. The 160 Hz settings is used when aggressive fi ltering is required. The 302’s high-pass circuit is unique
because of its placement before any electronic amplifi cation. Most mixer’s high-pass circuits are placed after
the mic preamp, where all of the high-energy low-frequency signals get amplifi ed. Because the 302’s circuit
cuts low-frequency signals before amplifying, higher headroom is achieved in presence of signals with a lot
of low-frequency energy.
Where possible, attempt to equalize at the sound source with microphone selection, use of windscreens,
microphone placement, and on-board microphone fi ltering. Many microphones have on-board high pass fi lters, and the high-pass fi lters on the 302 can be used in conjunction with the microphone’s fi lters to increase
the fi lter’s slope.
The high-pass fi lter are defeated when the switch in the center position.
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