TC Electronic Finalizer User Manual
Finalizer
STUDIO MASTERING PROCESSOR
USER’S MANUAL
3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WELCOME
FRONT PANEL
REAR PANEL
SIGNAL FLOW
FINALIZER SETUP
RECALL
STORE
MAIN PAGES
TOOLS
WIZARD
COMPARE
UTILITY
RESET PAGE
TECHNICAL REFERENCE
TROUBLESHOOTING
MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART
SELF-TEST PROGRAM
GLOSSARY
APPENDIX
About this Manual
Keys, LED’s and other functions explained
Recalling a Preset, Factory/User Presets, Memory Card
Store a New Preset, The Letterbox
Input, EQ, Inserts, Normalizer, Expander, Compressor, Limiter, Output, Crossover Freq.
Phase Meter, Calibration Tone, Flow, Peak-Hold Meter, Digital I/O
Reset Page, User Data Page
Maybe you will find help here
Tutorial
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6
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9
10
12
13
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32
33
34
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
4
PRECAUTIONS
WARNING - THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED
Use only a three wire grounding type line cord,
like the one supplied with the Finalizer.
Be advised that different operating voltages require the use of a
different type line cord and attachment plug.
In doubt contact your TC distributor.
Check the voltage in your area and use the correct type.
See table below:
CAUTION - Do not open the Finalizer.
Risk of electric shock inside. There are no user-serviceable
parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel only.
Mount the Finalizer with a little space above and below in a
well ventilated rack. Don't block the top or bottom.
To prevent electrical shock or fire hazard, do no expose the
Finalizer to rain or moisture.
Do not rely solely on the front screws when mounted in touring
rack. Support the back of the Finalizer as well.
Please report any shipment damage or equipment malfunctions
to your dealer, TC distributor or the TC head office in
Denmark.
Voltage Line plug according to standard
110-125V UL817 and CSA C 22.2 no. 42
220-230V CEE 7 page VII,
SR section 107-2-D1/IEC 83 page C4
240V BS 1363 of 1984. Specification for 13A.
fused plugs and switched and
un-switched socket outlets
5
WELCOME
Congratulations on the purchase of your new Finalizer.
We hope that you will have as much pleasure using it
as we had making it.
The general control is accomplished by moving the cursor using
the PARAMETER keys.
Jumping between bands using the BAND keys.
Changing block by using the BLOCK keys.
Change page using the MENU keys and decrease/increase values
by turning the ADJUST wheel.
The rest is simple. You select the area that you wish to control by
pressing the function keys on the front of the Finalizer; i.e., if
you want to recall, you press the RECALL key.
About this Manual
Many people in the music business have an aversion to reading
manuals. We understand that. So, if you feel like starting without
reading the whole manual, simply Plug & Play. You can always
use the manual for checking out areas that you have questions
about, or if you want to dig deeper into the unit, refer to the
Table of Contents for further information.
On the other hand, you might want to know a little more about
the Finalizer before you start pressing keys. The manual will take
you step by step through all of the Finalizer’s functions. If you
want to read about a specific function, please refer to the Table of
Contents.
6
FRONT PANEL
Input PPM Gain
Reduction
Meters
Limit
LED’s
Expander
Active
Indicators
INDICATORS
Overload
Lights up if internal overload
occurs.
Sample Rate Indicator
48000 Hz
44100 Hz
32000 Hz
MIDI In
MIDI receive indicator.
Card
Indicates presence of a valid
memory card.
Working
Indicates that some calculation is going on.
Edited
Preset has been edited.
PC Card slot
Presets may be copied
to/from a standard memory
card.
Electronic power switch
»Easy touch«
Keep pressed for more than
1 second to turn device off.
Output PPM
High resolution meters
SoftClip LED
Indicates that output is clipped
7
FUNCTIONS SECTION
Main Page
This button gives you
access to edit the entire
signal flow, from input to
output.
Tools
This key gives you access
to a lot of useful tools for
optimizing your material.
Wizard
The Wizard will do some of
the hard work for you.
Utility
MIDI, Security, Memory
management and much
more is located here.
PROGRAM SECTION
Recall
Recall presets.
Store
Store and name presets.
Compare
Compare the sound you
have right now with either
a leveled bypass or the
original preset.
Bypass
Bypass the signal processing.
CONTROL SECTION
OK
Confirm operations
and switch individual blocks on/off.
Help
Get help on selected display function
Block < >
Select which block to edit on the
main page.
Menu up/down
Vertically oriented menu selector.
Parameter < >
Moves horizontally for selection of
parameter to be modified.
Band < >
Select between the three bands on
the com/lim/exp pages.
On the EQ page, it selects which of the six
bands/level are displayed and ready for modification.
Adjust wheel
Sets parameter values and
preset numbers.
8
REAR PANEL
Main
Power
Switch
Balanced
XLR
Inputs
Balanced
XLR
Outputs
Serial No.
AES/EBU
Digital
in/out
S/PDIF
Digital
in/out
MIDI
In,Thru,Out
Pedal/Fader
Input
NOTES:
To accommodate international regulations, we have also added a rear panel power switch.
You don’t need to use the power switch on the rear panel. Use the front panel power switch instead.
Pin 2 is »hot« on all XLR’s (IEC and AES standards).
If you are connecting the Finalizer to unbalanced equipment, you must tie pins 1 and 3 together in the cable
ends away from the Finalizer.
We have reserved the two unused pins on the MIDI connectors for an optional RS485 interface.
Therefore, if you are connecting the Finalizer to other equipment that use these pins, please make sure the
cable is a 3-wire standard MIDI type (not a five wire MIDIPLUS type).
If you want to use the pedal input, make sure it is a momentary »make« type.
Power
Input
9
SIGNAL FLOW
Notes regarding the signal flow:
The AES/EBU and the S/PDIF inputs are connected internally. Therefore, do not connect cables to both
AES/EBU and S/PDIF inputs at the same time.
As you can see from the block diagram, signals are present on all outputs, all of the time. To make the
dithering circuit work appropriately, you must tell the system whether your main output is analog or digital
(the I/O menu).
10
FINALIZER SETUP
Finalizer Setup
The Finalizer is carefully designed to optimize the overall level and enhance the energy in your mix.
The use of the three band compressor, limiter and expander makes the dynamics section of the Finalizer very flexible, while
maintaining the fidelity of the original material. The dynamics section, in a combination with a normalizer and a five band
equalizer, gives you a very powerful tool, to finish the last details of your mix.
Because the Finalizer can be used in different applications, we propose a couple of different setups.
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Setup with an analog mixing console and a digital
recording device.
1. Connect the analog output of your mixer to the analog input of
the Finalizer.
2. Connect the digital output of the Finalizer to your
digital recording device.
3. Connect the analog output of the Finalizer to your
monitor system.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Setup with a digital mixing console and a digital
recording device
1. Connect the digital output of your mixer to the digital input of
the Finalizer.
2. Connect the digital output of the Finalizer to your
digital recording device.
3. Connect the analog output of the Finalizer to
your monitor system.
Mastering from DAT to DAT
1. Connect the digital output of DAT #1 to the digital input
of the Finalizer.
2. Connect the digital output of the Finalizer to the digital
input of DAT #2.
12
Preset banks
Factory
Presets
Your own
Presets
The Finalizer contains two different preset banks.
The RAM bank can hold up to 128 presets.
The RAM preset bank is located after the ROM bank. This
means that you scroll through the ROM presets to enter the RAM
bank.
For fast RAM/ROM access use the BLOCK keys
to switch between the two banks.
Note: When previewing in the RAM bank you will not see the
empty RAM space.
Factory/User Presets
RECALL
Select which blocks will be loaded
from new preset.
Preset name
Preset number
ROM bank RAM bank
Recall
When you wish to recall a preset, simply use the ADJUST wheel
to scroll through the presets and press OK to recall.
The OK key will be blinking while you are previewing, indicating that the shown preset is not recalled yet.
It is also possible to recall separate sections of a preset. Select the desired section, using the PARAMETER
keys, and press OK.
The Recall Display
In the Recall display, you will see an information section at the
bottom of the screen. In this section you are able to see which
blocks are turned on in the current preset, and also a small EQ
preview with a miniature icon of the EQ setting.
In the upper right corner, you see an indication of which bank
you are previewing.
Short info about preset
128 RAM
PRESETS
ROM
PRESETS
13
STORE
Store a New RAM Preset
- Press the STORE button
- Select a location for your new preset [dial between preset 1 to 128]
- Move the cursor to the new name line and dial in the new preset name [find letter with ADJUST and confirm with OK ]
- Move the cursor to DONE and press OK to finalize store operation.
Store with the same name:
If you want to store the preset with the existing name, simply select the RAM location to store it in by using the ADJUST wheel and press
OK (the OK key will be blinking while you search for a suitable RAM space). The Finalizer will now tell you “STORED” in a pop-up window and return to the main page.
Store location
The Letterbox
When you want to change the name of the preset to store, press
the MENU down key. You are now able to write a new name
using the letterbox. Simply dial the ADJUST wheel and press OK
to select new letters.
Select CAP, by pressing OK, to change case.
When you have changed the name, select DONE in the Letterbox
and press OK to Store.
You can use the PARAMETER keys to move the
cursor.
Delete a Preset
When you want to delete a preset, simply select Delete using the
BLOCK keys, select the preset to be deleted, and press OK.
New preset name
Letterbox
Cursor arrows
CAPS LOCK
Indicator
Place cursor here and press OK
to finalize store operation
Using a Memory Card:
When you wish to use a memory card, simply insert the card in
the Finalizer. The Finalizer will now autodetect your card and the
Store and Recall facilities will be attached to the memory card.
The Finalizer will now use the memory card as a normal RAM
bank. When you remove your memory card, the Finalizer will
switch back to the internal RAM.
If the format of the memory card is not correct, the Finalizer will
detect this immediately.
Card types
Type 1 PC Cards with minimum 64 KBytes of SRAM.
14
MAIN PAGE Input
Set input levels Select
input
Sample Rate:
44.1kHz, 48kHz
or from Digital Input
LowCut Filter
Select between con/pro
analog input levels.
Select the IN section on the Main page by pressing the
BLOCK keys.
These global level controls should be set to optimize the performance of the 20 bit A to D converter in the Finalizer.
Basic operation
Press the PARAMETER keys to move the cursor, and turn the
ADJUST wheel to change values.
Left & Right
The input bars can be operated individually or in common.
Highlight both bars for common operation by pressing the
PARAMETER keys. The range of the input bars depends on the
input type (Analog/Digital) and the input level
(Professional/Consumer).
Note: The input bars are always common when digital input is
selected.
Ranges
Analog Inputs
Consumer (-10 dBu): -16 dB to +10 dB
Professional (+6 dBu): -6 dB to +16 dB
Digital Inputs -16 dB to +6 dB
Sample Rate (Srate): Select master clock
44.1 kHz/48 kHz/DI
When Digital Input is selected, the external clock frequency will
be displayed by the three LEDs on the left hand side of the display. If the Finalizer can not lock, none of the LEDs will be lit.
Note: When changing the input to digital, the sample rate parameter is automatically set to DI.
LowCut
The lowcut filter is global, and is used to filter out any sub-bass
frequency or DC contents in the current signal.
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