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plc.
As can be found throughout the Audient range, your Sumo has been painstakingly designed
and lovingly nurtured to give you years of productive, reliable, mix fattening performance.
To make the most of this, we suggest that you have a good look through this manual before
you get started.
The safety and installation information will help you to set your Sumo up with the minimum
of danger and hassle, while the operational guide will take you on a whistle stop tour of
Sumo’s knobs, dials and flashy lights – along with some handy hints for their use. Finally, if
you’re experiencing any problems Sumo Surgery will root out most set-up and configuration
issues to get you back on track in no time.
Anywhere you see this symbol, you should make sure to read the
adjacent warning. These will prevent you from killing yourself,
blowing up speakers, and wrecking your mix. All of which are to be
avoided.
Text next to one of these symbols is, wait for it… a handy hint.
These are little operational titbits and guidelines to help you find
Your Sumo has been carefully and
meticulously tested before despatch.
Please check for any signs of transit
damage. If any signs of mishandling are
found please notify the carrier and your
dealer immediately.
Mains Power Supply
Fuses
Sumo can be switched to operate at mains
voltages of either 230V or 115V. With the
switch in the 230V position, the unit will
operate without performance degradation
Mechanical Installation
Care should be taken not to obstruct
the unit’s ventilation holes. Adequate
airflow must be provided within rack
cases above and below the unit to prevent
overheating.
from 210V to 250V. In the 115V setting,
voltages from 105V to 125V will be
accepted. Do not attempt to operate the
unit outside the relevant range defined
above. For 100V operation, please contact
your dealer.
Please note that the fuse ratings are
different for each of the voltage ranges.
20mm T250mA for the 230V setting and
20mm T500mA for 115/100V.
The mains fuse is very unlikely to fail
under normal use and caution should be
exercised if a failure should occur. Check
the mains voltage, the condition of the
mains cord and the integrity of the mains
supply before replacing the fuse.
Having bought the unit, you’ve probably
figured out that Sumo is a high-resolution
summing amplifier with stereo bus
compressor and peak limiter, not to
mention a handy little monitor section.
Nevertheless, here are a few more
interesting and descriptive words with
which to impress your inquisitive friends.
In essence, Sumo takes a bunch of signals
from several inputs and adds or “sums”
them together to present them to one
output. This is exactly the same process as
takes place in mixing consoles – the mix
bus sums signals from all of the channels
together.
“But my software has a mixer. Why can’t I
So what’s so special about the mix bus on
a big console? Well… only the highest of
high end, large format consoles employ
balanced mix buses to reduce crosstalk
and fend off noise. And this is precisely
the kind of mix bus you’ll find in your
Sumo, delivering the sound of a large
format console without the huge
footprint, or price tag.
just use that?” I hear you cry. Digital
summing has one crucial problem; that
the output bit depth is equal to or less
than each of the internal signals. This
means that when signals are summed,
some data must be thrown away.
Moreover the volume of data discarded in
this process increases with your track
count. It would, of course be unfair to
suggest that modern software performs
this data reduction indiscriminately or
with especially poor results, however
many engineers and producers have found
there to be something lacking in their
digital mixes – often employing an
analogue console purely to make use of its
summing bus.
Not only is Sumo’s summing bus as clean
as a whistle, it has frighteningly high
headroom. This is particularly important
because adding signals means adding their
levels, too. The more signals you add, the
more level you’re likely to find on the sum
bus. Consequently, Sumo has been
designed to handle levels in excess of
+28dBu.
This means that Sumo can take whatever
you throw at it without distortion or
noise.
Another feature of large format studio
consoles is the inclusion of a compressor
over the main stereo bus. Consequently,
the bus compressor from the ASP8024
has also been included in Sumo’s design: a
flexible, high quality compressor capable
of polishing a mix to perfection. And
there’s more; we’ve added in a digital
equipment guarding, mix fattening peak
limiter to help your mix stand out without
risking nasty digital distortion.
To cap it all off, the monitor section gives
you hands-on control of your playback
level while the external input allows you to
Optional Extras
If your Sumo is equipped with a digital
card, you’ll be able to output a stream of
lovely 0s and 1s at rates of up to 192kHz
on both AES/EBU and S/PDIF
standards.
As your studio and track counts expand,
you can expand your sumo system with
the addition of up to 3 units, giving you a
total of 64 inputs. If you are feeling
particularly track hungry, then each of the
expansion units can provide 3 more
expansion inputs etc. etc…
A/B your mixes against some reference
material, or listen to the playback from
your master recorder.
The 16 inputs are connected via two
Tascam DA88 type female D-Sub
connectors. Interconnect cables are
readily available in pre-wired form from
Audient and from any good cable
manufacturer. You can get these with
different tail types to suit your other
equipment, see the accessories section on
page 18. Always use balanced connections
to reduce any cable interference and noise.
Operational Manual
Plugs and Sockets
Inserts are connected via TRS (Tip-RingSleeve) jacks. Rather than an unbalanced
loop on a single cable, there are separate
jacks for sends and returns, providing
balanced connections throughout.
8 1 14 2
Note: All undesignated pins are
unconnected. All screen connections
are joined inside the unit and
connected to metalwork earth.
signal
-ve
signal
D-Sub Pin
Screen Channel
Outputs are provided on male XLR
connectors: two for the main outs and
two for your monitors.
A third D-Sub connector (which breaks
out to XLRs) can provide extender linking
and an external monitor input. The first
two channels connect the external input
to the monitor section, while the
remaining three pairs of channels allow
additional Sumo units to connect directly
into the mix bus.
All of Sumo’s analogue audio connections
operate at +4dBu, the professional
standard, so you may need to ‘pad’
outputs fed to semi-pro equipment.
-ve Pin should be connected to its
adjacent 0v pin at Sumo’s output.
Similarly, inputs from unbalanced sources
should be connected via twin screened
cables with the –ve pin connection tied to
the screen at the unbalanced source.
Inputs and outputs are implemented using
advanced electronically balanced
topologies and are fitted with extensive
RFI rejection networks.
Digital Interfaces
AES/EBU on XLR, and S/PDIF on
RCA (that’s a phono plug to you and I).
Output on both connectors, for all sample
rates is fixed at 24bit.
A word clock input is also provided for
situations where Sumo is not the clock
master. This is connected via BNC.
The optional digital card gives Sumo the
ability to output at six sample frequencies
up to and including 192kHz.
The card provides for both of the most
common stereo digital transmissions
standards:
Before starting, it’s always a good idea to
make sure that your monitor speakers are
muted and/or turned off – this ensures
that nothing gets popped or blown up
when cables are being fiddled with and
while power is turned on.
Analogue Connection
(see Figure 1, on next page)
1. Connect the outputs of your
DAW’s interface and any other
sources to Sumo’s inputs. If your
DAW’s interface can output at 10dBV or +4dBu, select the latter.
This is the professional standard
and will allow you to make the
most of Sumo’s excellent
headroom.
2. Plug the Monitor Outputs of
Sumo into your monitor amplifier,
or directly into your powered
monitors. Make sure you have the
monitor volume right down at this
point, to protect the speakers
when you switch them on.
3. Attach Sumo’s main outputs to
your master recorder such as a
DAT machine or CD recorder, or
even right back into your DAW.
This stage is pretty important,
because you’re converting back
into the digital domain and the
quality of this conversion will
effect your overall mix, so make
sure to use the best converters you
have available. If you would like to
improve your AD conversion,
consider Sumo’s digital conversion
option, which produces top notch
AES/EBU and S/PDIF straight
out the back of the unit.
If you are connecting
straight back into your
DAW, you’ll have to make
sure that the track you
record on is either muted or not
routed to Sumo else you’ll get
feedback. And nobody likes
feedback.
circumstances, all of the odd numbered
channels entering Sumo are routed to the
left side of the bus, while even numbers
The ‘Post Dyn’ switch allows you to
alterthe position of the inserts in the
chain: before (pre) or after (post) the
internal compressor and limiter.
are routed to the right. Of course, this is
going to sound a little unusual if your kick
drum appears on the left and your snare is
on the right, etc. So the first two channel
pairs (1/2 + 3/4) can each be mono’d,
effectively panning them dead centre,
right where you want them. Also, routing
mono sources through a single channel
saves outputs from your DAW.
Mix Gain – This control gives you a
pre-dynamics gain trim from –20 to 0dB,
so even if you’ve been especially
normalize-happy whilst editing, you won’t
have any problems with headroom, either
within Sumo or, more likely, with any
attached inserts.
MIX INSERT Switches – These
buttons refer to the insert connections on
the back panel. Use these if you want to
Be careful of boosting with
an inserted unit when in
post-dynamics mode as the
limiter is no longer able to
protect the output level. This is
particularly important with
digital gear, where overs must
be avoided at all costs.
Output Meter – This meter will
display system output level in dBu for
either the main sum bus or two track
input; whichever is selected in the monitor
section. Or whichever source you are
listening to, if you like. The legend
beneath the meter shows how the
analogue levels relate to digital output
when the digital card is installed. If you
wish to line the analogue inputs of your
digital gear up to match the meters, 0dBu
should equate to –24dBFS.
add your own EQ, compression, or
anything else you can think of. The ‘In’
switch puts the inserts in circuit, breaking
the signal path if nothing is connected.
both compressor and limiter in circuit.
When the dynamics are out, they are hard
bypassed, clearing the signal path of any
unnecessary components.
Threshold – Sets the point at which
compression begins to work. Due to the
soft-knee characteristic of the compressor,
some slight gain reduction is applied
before the threshold level. This gives the
compressor a gentler, more musical
response.
Ratio– Varies the amount of
compression. The numbers on the dial
show the number of decibels that must be
put in above the threshold to get one
more dB out. The greater the number, the
harder the compression. The diagram
below shows how the compressor affects
the input/output ratio at different ratio
settings. The off position allows you to
bypass the compressor whilst leaving the
limiter in place. Dead handy if, heaven
forbid, you’re inserting a compressor of
your own.
Use high ratios with high
thresholds to control rogue
peaks, or low ratios with
low thresholds to apply a more
gentle overall compression.
Attack – The time for which the input
signal must rise above the threshold level
before the compressor takes effect.
Adjusting this will vary the way the
compressor handles transient sounds.
Where control of unruly
transients is required, a
faster attack will clamp
down on peaks. However,
if larger amounts of gain reduction
are applied, unnecessarily fast
attack times may affect high
frequency content.
The Peak Limiter’s response is fast
attack, fast release, and very hard. It has
two functions: Firstly, as a protective
device it can remove the dangerous peaks
that can result in digital clipping.
Secondly, it can be used to increase the
average signal level (as your ear detects
volume by averaging over time) and
increase the perceived loudness of your
mix within the confines of a recording
medium: Great if you want your CDs to
sound as loud as the pros’.
Gain Reduction Metering– Two
independent meters show gain reduction
at the compression and limiting stages, so
you immediately know where any
adjustments need to be made.
As a rough guide, 3dB of
reduction with a fairly
high ratio should be pretty
inaudible. If you’re looking
for a more general squashing,
values of up to 6dB with a lower
ration (1.5 or 2) should give some
good results. However, be aware
that for the limiter and fast attack
settings of the compressor,
reduction may occur faster than
the meters can show it, so take
this into account and trust your
ears!
Be particularly careful of peak
limiting: reduction in excess of
6dB may well cause adverse
effects such as chewing up
your top end.
MIX MASTER / MONITOR
Section
MIX MASTER – Is the final gain
control before the mix leaves the unit, or
enters the digital card. This is useful as a
final adjustment after any gain changes
brought about by dynamics and inserts.
‘Ext In’ Switch– Switches the
external input into the monitor path. Use
this to monitor playback from your master
recorder, or perhaps to check your mix
against reference material.
MONITOR Volume – Say no more.
Monitor Mono Switch – allows you
to check phase coherence, etc. by
summing the monitor outputs in mono.
88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192kHz are supported.
The desired sample rate can be selected by
pressing the select button repeatedly
whereby the sample rate will cycle through
internal rates and then the external Word
Operational Manual
Clock source.
Lock – When the external clock source is
selected, the select switch will flash until
the converters are synchronised, or
‘locked’, with the external source. When
lock is achieved the light will glow solidly.
When using Sumo as a Word Clock
Master, set any attached recorders to take
wordclock from their AES/EBU or
s/pdif input (the one that’s connected to
Sumo).
A range of accessories is available to hook up to other gear or expand your Sumo system. All
cables are of the highest quality and will perfectly complement your Sumo in any set-up. For
alternative terminations or lengths, contact your Audient dealer.
Description Order code
3 Metre Analogue 25 pin D-Sub to 8 Female XLR
Ideal for linking to audio interfaces and other Sumo units.
3 Metre Analogue 25 pin D-Sub to 25 pin D-Sub
Ideal for connection to Pro Tools HD systems.
Sumo 192kHz AES/EBU & S/PDIF digital output card SUMO-AES
Your Sumo comes with a manufacturers
warranty for one year from the date of
despatch to the end user.
The warranty covers faults due to
defective materials used in manufacture
and faulty workmanship only.
During this warranty period Audient will
repair or at its discretion replace any faulty
unit provided it is returned carriage paid
to an authorised Audient service centre.
We will not provide warranty repair if in
our opinion the fault has resulted from
unauthorised modification, misuse,
negligence, act of God or accident.
We accept liability to repair or replace
your Sumo as described above. We do not
accept any additional liability.
This warranty does not affect any legal
rights you may have against the person
who supplied this product – it is
additional to those rights.