DM 1000 Block Diagram - Essay Example

The input section has input connectors 1_16 through which to connect the microphone and line-level sources, and 1_4 OMNI IN connectors through which line-level sources are connected.SLOT(1_2) is used to offer AD/DA conversion and digital I/O interfaces.SLOT1 has 1-18 lines connected to the input patch. SLOT 2 has 1-18 also connected to the input patch( bus bar). Both slots are connected to the surround monitor. The surround has a Pan function which places the sound image within a two-dimensional by using a multichannel playback system and so pans the image to the front, rear, left, and right in relation (Collins 2011).

The XLR connectors are wired in the sequence that follows:pin1 to ground, pin 2 to hot(+), and pin 3 to cold (-).
Inputs 1-16 accept line-level and microphone signals in the range -of 60dB to +40dB. These inputs have a switchable +48V powering for use with condenser-type microphones and the direct buses and the switches turn the phantom power ON/OFF. The signal then passes through PAD switches which attenuate it by 20dB and through rotary gain controls used to adjust input sensitivity which ranges from +40dB to -40Db when PAD is on and from -16dB to -60dB when its off. The signal passes through the AD which converts the analog signal into digital form. LED signal indicators light up when the input signal level is 20 dB below the nominal value and the PEAK indicators light up when the input signal level is 3dB below clipping. The signal is then passed to the INPUT PATCH via connectors 1-16.

1) Input channel section
This is where the signal level and tone inputs are adjusted and routed to Bus 1-8,  Stereo Bus, SOLO Bus, and Aux Busses. The signal flows as follows:

The phase (Ф) section switches the phase of the input signals. The signal passes on to the gate which is a dynamic processor for gating or for ducking. The signal then passes through a metering unit. From here, it's passed through a Compressor that has a dynamic processor used as a compressor, expander, or limiter. It can be a pre-Equalizer, pre-fader, or post-fader. The signal then goes through the attenuator which attenuates or amplifies the signal to be fed to the Equalizer. The 4-band equalizer is parametric and features four bands, i.e. high, high-mid, low-mid, and low, and is connected to a metering unit. The signal flows to the Input Delay that enables the signal to be delayed to fine-tune the timing between channels or as a delay effect with feedback. The On/Off switches allow for the channel to be turned on or off (mute). The Level adjusts the input level of the Input Channel signal (Collins 2011).

The INSERT is used to patch input signals to external devices through the onboard I/O connectors or I/O cards or to insert the internal effect processors. The Meter switches the metering position of the signal levels that are then displayed on the meter page. The PAN section adjusts the settings of the signals routed from the input channels to the Stereo Bus. The AUX Send level adjusts the level of the signals routed to Auxilliary Out 1-8 either from the pre-fader or from the post-fader. These Channel parameters are stored in the channel libraries as appropriate.

2) Input patching
Here the input signals present at the input ports 1-16, OMNI IN 1-4, and inputs to the SLOTS 1&2 are patched (connected) to the input channel connectors as appropriate, e.g. input connector 1 to input channel 1, input connector 2 to input channel 6, etc. An encoder is used.
3) Metering
This section allows Input and Output Channel levels to check and display these values on the Meter pages. For instance, the gain reduction meter in the diagram displays the change in signal gain after it was patched. The meter positions can be selected as desired to obtain readings at these points, e.g. before the equalizer, after the fader, or before the fader as in the above diagram.

4) Output Busses
The output buses are used to connect the signal to the external output devices and are 1-8 direct output buses, Stereo output buses (left and right) and 1-8 auxiliary output sends.

The stereo out section receives signals from Input Channel and Bus Out 1-8, mixes these signals into Left and Right channels, processes them using equalizers, and compressors, and then feeds them to the two L and R output connectors. The On/Off SWITCH turns the stereo On or Off. The SOLO bus is used to route the soloed Input Channels directly to the control room monitor by bypassing the direct Busses 1-8 and Stereo busses. The Aux Out 1-8 sends signals to the internal and external effects processors and monitors. In this section, the signals from the input channels are mixed and processed using onboard equalizers and compressors, and then sends the signals to specific internal effects processors, output connectors, or I/O card connectors. Read More