TC Electronic Finalizer Express User Manual

Finalizer Express

STUDIO MASTERING PROCESSOR

USER’S MANUAL

a

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 wide
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.

11 Only use attachments/accessories specified by the

manufacturer.

12 Use only with the 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.

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.

• This equipment should be installed near the socket
outlet and disconnection of the device should be easily
accessible.

• To completely disconnect from AC mains, disconnect
the power supply cord from the AC receptable.

• The mains plug of the power supply shall remain
readily operable.

• Do not install in a confined space.

• Do not open the unit - risk of electric shock inside.

Caution:

You are cautioned that any change or modifications not
expressly approved in this manual could void your authority
to operate this equipment.

Service

• There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

• All service must be performed by qualified personnel.

Warning!

• To reduce the risk of fire or electrical shock, do not
expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and
ensure that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases,
are placed on the equipment.

• This apparatus must be earthed.

• Use a three wire grounding type line cord like the one
supplied with the product.

• Be advised that different operating voltages require the
use of different types of line cord and attachment plugs.

• Check the voltage in your area and use the
correct type. See table below:

Voltage Line plug according to standard

110-125V UL817 and CSA C22.2 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
unswitched socket outlets.

The lightning flash with an arrowhead symbol with­in an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the
user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous

voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of suffi­cient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to per­sons.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle
is intended to alert the user to the presence of
important operating and maintenance (servicing)

instructions in the literature accompanying the product.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

b

EMC / EMI.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with
the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15 of
the FCC rules.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in residential installations. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on. The user
is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and
receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit
different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV
technician for help.

For the customers in Canada:

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la
norme NMB-003 du Canada.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3

INTRODUCTION

Table of Contents p. 3
Welcome p. 4
Introduction p. 5
Front Panel p. 6
Rear Panel p. 8
Signal Flow Diagram p. 9
Compressor/Limiter p. 10
Setups p. 11

BASIC OPERATION

Knobs & Keys p. 12
Working the Express
Step by Step p. 14
The Finalizer Matrix p. 15

WORKING THE FINALIZER EXPRESS

Analog Inputs p. 16
Digital Outputs p. 16

HOW TO ACHIEVE
A GOOD STARTING POINT

How to hit the Compressor p. 16
How to hit the Limiter p. 17
How to Compare Bypassed
and Finalized Signals p. 17
Classical or Acoustic
Source Material p. 17
Average Rock/Pop Music p. 18
Commercial Speak p. 18

SPECIAL SETUPS

Using an External Clock p. 19
Finalizer Exp. as Master Clock p. 19
Finalizer Express as Insert p. 19

EXTERNAL CONTROL

Using the TC Master Fader p. 20
Controlling Fader via MIDI p. 20
Record/Playback of a Fade p. 21

APPENDIX

Self Test p. 22
Troubleshooting p. 23
MIDI Implementation Chart p. 24
Technical Specifications p. 25
Note p. 26
Glossary p. 27
Soldering Instructions p. 28
My Settings p. 30
Optional Master Fader p. 31

TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov - [e-mail] English version Rev 3 - SW - V 1.01

Prod. No: 606064013

Congratulations

Congratulations on the purchase of your new Finalizer
Express. We hope that you have as much pleasure
using it as we had making it.

The Finalizer Express is an easy-to-use three band home
mastering device. It will optimize the level and punch of your
music by increasing the average perceived level. The user
interface of the Finalizer Express is presented in an analog style,
making it extremely intuitive and fast to use.
The Finalizer Express interfaces with the outside world through
24 bit A/D and D/A converters, AES/EBU, S/PDIF and Optical
I/O’s. The Finalizer Express features a digital fader, remote
controllable through the optional TC Master Fader or via MIDI.

About this Manual

Many people in the music business (and elsewhere) have an
aversion to reading manuals. We understand that. So if you feel
like starting without reading the whole manual, simply get going.
On the other hand, you might want to know a little more about
the Finalizer Express before you start turning knobs or pressing
keys. This manual will take you through all of the Finalizer
Express functions step by step. If you want to read about a
specific function, please refer to the Table of Contents.

WELCOME

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5

INTRODUCTION

What is the Finalizer Express?

This is a short introduction to the Finalizer Express concept, including a brief description of Multiband Dynamics
processing.

Multiband Dynamics Processing

TC Electronic has been working with Multiband Dynamics for several years and has become one of the world’s leading companies in this
field. The simple explanation of Multiband Dynamics is that the incoming signal is split into several frequency bands, in this case into three
bands. This is done using three stereo-linked crossover bands combining linear phase digital filters. When the signals are separated, it is
possible to process them independently. In this case three stereo Compressors and three stereo Limiters are used, one for each band. After
the dynamics processing, the three bands are joined again. All this is done digitally with no loss in sound quality or resolution.

Why Multiband Dynamics ?

Multiband Dynamics makes it possible to process the bands independently. This means that the bands can be processed differently without
affecting each other. When working with a full mix using conventional dynamics processing, you face certain problems. Generally you will
have a problem, when the energy of the source material is mainly in the low end. The bass guitar or kick drum will then control the overall
compression and thereby introduce what is best known as “pumping and breathing”. With conventional dynamics processing it is also
impossible to compress, or limit, the low end without affecting the mids containing Vocals and guitars, or to leave the highs less
compressed than the rest of the signal.
All these problems can be avoided by using Multiband Dynamics. With the Finalizer Express you will avoid “Pumping and Breathing”,
you can compress and limit the low end without affecting the mids and highs, and you can leave the highs less compressed than the rest of
the signals. In addition to these benefits, Multiband Dynamics sound a lot more subtle and transparent, making it possible to achieve
a higher perceived level of a mix without getting that ‘squeezed and squashed’ compressor sound.

The Finalizer Express

The Finalizer Express is a studio mastering device meant for optimizing the overall perceived level of your mixes. This is done by utilizing
TC’s proprietary Multiband Dynamics algorithm that the Finalizer Express inherited from the TC Finalizer Plus/96.
The Multiband Dynamics algorithm automatically makes up for the gain loss caused by the Compressor, and thereby ensures maximum
level. The Finalize LED Matrix enables you to choose between 25 different settings of the Compressor organized by Ratio and
Compression style ranging from smooth and subtle to aggressive and hard compression. In addition, the three Emphasis keys can be used
for adding extra compression to the selected band.
The three Spectral Balance controls allow you to change the level relationship between low, mid and high, making it possible to add some
extra tight compressed low end.
The digital fader enables you to perform your fades within the digital domain, using the fade knob on the front panel of the Finalizer
Express or by using the optional TC Master Fader, and even record and playback fades through MIDI. Last but not least, the Finalizer
Express features 16 and 20 bit dither for delivering your material to a 16, 20 or even 24 bit digital media.

FRONT PANEL

6

POWER

Electronic POWER key

»Easy touch«
Turn on the device with a
single light touch. To turn off
the device you must press
and hold down the POWER
key approx. 3 seconds.
This delay time is to avoid
switching off the device by
accident.

CARD SLOT

The Finalizer Express is
ready for future software
update possibilities through
the PCMCIA slot.

SELECT INPUT

Toggles between the analog
Inputs and any of the three
digital Inputs.

ANALOG IN

Controls the analog Input gain.

INPUT/OUTPUT METERS

The high resolution LED meters
show the Input and Output level
of the Finalizer Express. The
Clip LEDs indicate digital
clipping on the Input or Output.

NORMALIZER CLIP

Indicates digital clipping in the
Normalizer section.

OPTO, AES/EBU, S/PDIF

Indicates the selected digital
Input.

44.1, 48kH

Z

Indicates the incoming Sample
Rate. These LEDs will blink
when either unacceptable clock
or no clock is present at all.

GAIN REDUCTION METERS

Shows the gain reduction of the
Compressor and Limiter.

MIDI

Indicates incoming MIDI
information, the LED will blink
accordingly.

NORMALIZE GAIN

Sets the gain of the Normalizer
section. This parameter
determines how hard the
Compressor is driven.

SOFTCLIP

Sets the Softclipper of the
Normalizer section On/Off.

SPECTRAL BALANCE

The Low, Mid and High knobs
adjust the level in each of the
three bands.

EMPHASIS

The three Emphasis keys add
compression and gain in their
respective bands.

7

FRONT PANEL

THE FADER

Controls the Master Output level of
the Finalizer Express.

EXTERNAL CONTROL

Determines whether the Fader
should be controlled by the Fader
knob, the optional TC Master
Fader or MIDI.

BYPASS ALL

Bypasses all functions except
Dithering.

ANALOG OUT

Controls the analog Output gain.

SYNC FROM

Sets the digital clock that the
Finalizer Express should utilize.

DIGITAL OUT

Sets the digital Status bits used on
all digital Outputs.

DITHER

Toggles Dither between 16 bit,
20 bit and Off (24 bit). Dither is
available on digital Outputs only.

THE FINALIZE MATRIX

Selects the amount of
Compressor Rate and the
Compression style.

LOOK AHEAD DELAY

Sets the 3ms Look Ahead
Delay of the Dynamics section
On/Off.

SOFTCLIP

Enables/disables the
Softclipper in the
Dynamics section.

Main

Power

Switch

Power

Input

Balanced

XLR

analog

Inputs

Balanced

XLR

analog

Outputs

Serial no.

Digital In/Out

AES/EBU

S/PDIF
OPTICAL
(Tos-link)

MIDI

In, Thru, Out

External

Fader

Input

Notes

Pin 2 is “Hot” on all XLR’s (IEC and AES standards)

The Finalizer Express power supply is capable of operating at any line voltage from 100-240 Volts, 50-60Hz.

For further instructions on cables please see our Soldering instructions on page 28-29.

REAR PANEL

8