Thermionic Culture Nightingale 2 Operating Manual

©Thermionic Culture Ltd., August 2014 1

WARNING

For your personal safety, please read this operating manual and
warning thoroughly before using the equipment.

This unit must be installed in such a manner that operator access
to the mains plug is maintained. Where the product is to be rack
mounted, this may be achieved by having access to the
disconnection device for the whole rack.

To reduce the risk of electric shock, it is essential that the unit is
disconnected from the mains supply before removing the covers.

In the event that this unit has been dropped or has suffered an
impact, an electrical safety test must be carried out before
reconnection to the mains supply.

This equipment is not intended for use in explosion hazard
environments. It must be used and stored such that the ambient
relative humidity does not exceed 80%, nor is the temperature to
be allowed to drop to a level which would cause dew point to be
reached.

Please ensure that adequate ventilation is provided and that the
ventilation slots are not obstructed. When rack mounting this
equipment a space of 1U should be left above it for air flow, and/or
a fan may be required to provide sufficient airflow to dissipate the
heat of the valves and not affect any equipment mounted above it
.

It is not advisable to operate this equipment if all valves are not in
place and working, as voltages will rise and components may
overheat and fail.

©Thermionic Culture Ltd., August 2014 2

CONTENTS

Section Page

1 Introduction 3

2 Installation/ Starting up 5

3 Controls and Operation - Preamp A and B 7

3.1 Input Level 7

3.2 Gain 7

3.3 Top 7

3.4 Pres 7

3.5 Bass 7

3.6 Top Cut 8

3.7 Phase 8

3.8 Bass Cut 8

3.9 HPF 8

3.10 EQ Bypass 9

4 Controls and Operation – I/P Select 10

5 Controls and Operation – Compressor 11

5.1 Meter 11

5.2 Threshold 11

5.3 Release 11

5.4 Comp Gain 12

5.5 O/P Level 12

6 Operational Hints 13

7 Servicing…. Valves / Tubes 15

8 Specification 16

©Thermionic Culture Ltd August 2014 3

1 Introduction

The Nightingale 2 is an improved version of the original
Nightingale.
It now incorporates a useful eq bypass switch for
comparison purposes in Input channels A & B. There is also
a Standby switch which when activated reduces the high
tension voltage to all of the valves. Use of this will prolong
valve life and should be used when first switching on and at
any time that the unit is standing idle with mains supply on.

The Nightingale 2 comes in exactly the same 4U ½ rack
format with detachable power supply and can be used either
stand-alone due to its robust construction, or mounted in a
standard 19 inch rack using our rack mount kit. It can be on
its own or share the space with another unit in this range.

The Nightingale uniquely comprises 3 different components.
There are 2 (A and B) mic. / line preamps which also have
EQ, filters, phase adjustment, 48V phantom power and a
front panel DI input.

There is one mono compressor that is a modified version of
the Phoenix, one of Thermionic Culture’s oldest and most
popular designs.

We have provided front panel switching to allow the user to
configure the Nightingale 2 in different modes. The
components can all be used separately or they can be linked
and summed together internally via the front panel control.

Each preamp has a transformer balanced input, transformer­less unbalanced output and uses 1 valve per channel. The
valve is an ECC832. The valves are run in a single ended
configuration, which we feel gives a good balance between
smoothness, clarity and harmonic distortion.

The EQ circuit is an active design, which is similar in
operation to that found in the Earlybird 2 mic. preamps.

©Thermionic Culture Ltd August 2014 4

The mono compressor is a variation of the Phoenix design,
which uses a different input transformer and valve
complement. There is a different detector valve (5726),
compression valve (6AQ8) and output valve (5965). This
gives a harder type of compression curve, which starts at
less than 2:1 and ends up as a 20:1 ratio at high
compression levels. The combination of new valves and
transformers also gives the unit more available gain. We find
that these qualities suit what this unit as a whole is capable
of.

We feel that The Nightingale 2 is a very versatile and unique
unit. The ability to take 2 different signals from DI, mic. or
line sources then be able to EQ, compress and internally
sum them together whilst retaining the ability to use all 3
components individually, or any combination in between, is a
very creative combination of features that can’t be found in
any other single unit of this size.

The quality of the circuit design means that the sound of the
unit stays open and natural even when applying extreme
amounts of processing. Full use of all the features can be
made without fear of seriously damaging the signal quality.

It was originally made for Live use where 2 vocal mics may
be combined, each with its own eq,, into 1 “soft knee””
compressor, with phase reversal on one mic to reduce band
pick-up.

©Thermionic Culture Ltd August 2014 5

2 Installation / Starting up

The Nightingale 2 can be operated in almost any
environment, for studio or live use.

We supply on request a special Rack, capable of holding 2
units.

If 2 units are rack-mounted with other equipment above
them, we strongly advise that a gap of 1 U is left above so
that heat can dissipate, and/or use a fan.

When used in a rack, the power supply can be detached,
moved further back and re-connected using a special cable.
This is certainly not essential, but can reduce the low
frequency hum by up to 2 dB.
We are considering producing an external PSU capable of
powering up to 6 units. Please contact us if this interests
you.

All connectors, except DIs, are standard XLRs with pin 1
ground and pins 2 & 3 Line (pin 2 “hot”).
Connections to other equipment should be made using
standard twin screened cables.
Cable length should not be an issue, within reason.

DI inputs are unbalanced jacks so cables must be shorter,
and we recommend 3 m max unless the source impedance
is low as with most synthesisers, but beware of “hum loops”.

Before switching on check that the mains selector is set for
your local supply.230 for 220-240v, 115 for 110-120v. We
factory set these for the ordered destination, but if it’s set
incorrectly you may need to change the fuse. Your local
dealer should carry spares. See table at end of manual.

Now check that the Standby switch is set in the Standby
position. Use the Standby facility when switching on from
cold and if the unit is powered up but not actually in use.