TC Electronic Finalizer User Manual
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TC Electronic Finalizer User Manual

Studio mastering processor
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USER'S MANUAL
Finalizer
STUDIO MASTERING PROCESSOR

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Summary of Contents for TC Electronic Finalizer

  • Page 1 USER’S MANUAL Finalizer STUDIO MASTERING PROCESSOR...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    WELCOME About this Manual FRONT PANEL Keys, LED’s and other functions explained REAR PANEL SIGNAL FLOW FINALIZER SETUP RECALL Recalling a Preset, Factory/User Presets, Memory Card STORE Store a New Preset, The Letterbox MAIN PAGES Input, EQ, Inserts, Normalizer, Expander, Compressor, Limiter, Output, Crossover Freq.
  • Page 4 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.

  • Page 5: Welcome

    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.

  • Page 6: Front Panel

    FRONT PANEL Electronic power switch »Easy touch« Keep pressed for more than Output PPM SoftClip LED 1 second to turn device off. High resolution meters Indicates that output is clipped PC Card slot INDICATORS Input PPM Expander Gain Limit Presets may be copied Active Reduction LED’s...
  • Page 7 Adjust wheel Sets parameter values and preset numbers. FUNCTIONS SECTION PROGRAM SECTION CONTROL SECTION Main Page Recall This button gives you Recall presets. Confirm operations access to edit the entire and switch individual blocks on/off. signal flow, from input to Store output.

  • Page 8: Rear Panel

    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.

  • Page 9: Signal Flow

    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).

  • Page 10: 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.
  • Page 11 Connect the analog output of the Finalizer to your monitor system. Example 3 Mastering from DAT to DAT Connect the digital output of DAT #1 to the digital input of the Finalizer. Connect the digital output of the Finalizer to the digital input of DAT #2.

  • Page 12: Recall

    Select the desired section, using the PARAMETER Preset banks keys, and press OK. The Finalizer contains two different preset banks. The Recall Display In the Recall display, you will see an information section at the The RAM bank can hold up to 128 presets.

  • Page 13: Store

    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 win- dow and return to the main page.

  • Page 14: Main

    LEDs on the left hand side of the dis- PARAMETER keys. The range of the input bars depends on the play. If the Finalizer can not lock, none of the LEDs will be lit. input type (Analog/Digital) and the input level (Professional/Consumer).
  • Page 15 MAIN PAGE Black box indicates selected block EQ on/off Effects blocks Selected band Band Output Level bar Parameter Frequency Gain Bandwidth/Slope Select EQ by pressing the BLOCK keys. Basic operation Press PARAMETER keys to select frequency/gain/bandwidth/slope. Turn ADJUST wheel to change values. Press BAND keys to jump between the five bands.
  • Page 16 MAIN PAGE Inserts Insert selected DIGITAL RADIANCE GENERATOR Insert type selector Select between: - None - Digital Radiance - Stereo Adjust - De-essing STEREO ADJUST This parameter deter- If your material is asymmetric mines the drive of the (percussion/speech etc.) this Radiance Generator.

  • Page 17: Digital Radiance Generator

    Select Insert by pressing the BLOCK keys distortion to the signal. This kind of distortion is very analog- The Finalizer has various insert possibilities. Choose between like, and will add a certain warmth to your material. DRG, Stereo Adjust or De-essing by pressing the MENU up/down keys.
  • Page 19 MAIN PAGE Normalizer Black box indicates selected block Effects blocks No. of consecutive samples clipped. Normalizing gain Clipping method Normalizer Optimizing the level of your material starts in the Normalizer. Here you have a graphical presentation of the incoming signal, shown as 1 second pictures. By increasing the gain, you decrease the headroom, shown as two dotted lines.
  • Page 20 MAIN PAGE Expander USER PAGE PAGES Y-axis is output - User page level. - Expert page - Cross-over frequency page Arrow direction indicates X-axis is input whether the parameter value level. has been increased or Expander Ratio decreased since last recall. threshold low/mid/high Use band select cursors to access...
  • Page 21 Expander Cross-over Menu Select EXP by pressing the BLOCK keys Press MENU keys to enter the cross-over frequency page (Xovr) Basic Operation - Press the PARAMETER keys to select parameter. L-Xovr/H-Xovr - Turn the ADJUST wheel to change values. With the L-Xovr and H-Xovr you set the cross-over points of the - Press the BAND keys to select between the three bands.
  • Page 22 MAIN PAGE Compressor USER PAGE Page select: 1. User page 2. Expert page 3. Cross-over page Arrow direction indicates whether the parameter value has been increased or decreased since last recall. Threshold Ratio Band levels Output level low/mid/high low/mid/high low/mid/high EXPERT PAGE Release Side chain / Delay...

  • Page 23: The Compressor

    About the Compressor Note: This delay time parameter is common for the compressor, The compressor section of the Finalizer is divided into three limiter and expander. bands. This means that you are able to compress the low/mid/high frequencies separately.
  • Page 24 MAIN PAGE Limiter USER PAGE Expert mode on/off Arrow direction indicates whether the parameter value has been increased or decreased since last recall. Bypass individual Clipping method Limiter limiter bands. The clip function smoothly kills threshold any overshoot that might occur low/mid/high after heavy compression or limit- ing.
  • Page 25 Select LIM by pressing the BLOCK keys put, i.e., if you receive an overload indication on the device con- nected to the DI/out of the Finalizer, you are able to reduce the Basic operation output level down by 0.01 dB increments.
  • Page 26 Use the output bar for adjusting the analog output gain. selects a suitable dither. Range: -16 dB to +6 dB If you select ANALOG, the Finalizer dithers to 20 bit Auto Fade (the D to A converters are 20 bit).

  • Page 28: Tools

    TOOLS Phase Meter (correlation) Phase Meter The phase meter show you the phase relationship between the two stereo channels. Plus means that the two channels are in phase. Minus means that the two channels are in anti- phase. Time/division Sets the curve drawing speed. Time/division Curve speed TOOLS...
  • Page 29 TOOLS and select the Flow meter, and you have instant view of all levels and possible overloads in the Finalizer. Internal levels (ppm) TOOLS...
  • Page 30 TOOLS Digital I/O (DIO) RECEIVED STATUS BITS Pre-emphasis indicator: on/off Source device: DAT, CD, mixer etc. Numbers of audio bits received. Copyright: None, One copy only , Infinite copies DIGITAL OUT STATUS BITS Status bits on digital output: AES/EBU: Professional usage of status bits. S/PDIF: Consumer usage of status bits.
  • Page 31 ID will be lost. However, in order to take full advantage of the Finalizer’s 24 bit resolution you should select AES/EBU to make sure that the receiving device after the Finalizer will accept all 24 bits. S/PDIF When S/PDIF is selected, the Finalizer will send its own con- sumer status bits out, meaning that any incoming ID will be lost.

  • Page 32: Wizard

    Press OK to start procedure Select source type: soft/medium/hard Select degree of compression: soft/medium/hard Optimize gain If this option is selected the Finalizer will adjust the Normalizer level. The Finalizer will adjust the Equalizer to the selected spectral expression. Wizard - Making the whole thing very simple Press the WIZARD key.

  • Page 33: Compare

    COMPARE Listen to original preset Listen to your edited sound Bypassed signal If you place cursor here, you will hear If you place the cursor here, you will Same function as the BYPASS key. the original preset. hear the edited sound. Use the ADJUST wheel to adjust this level for better comparison with the bypassed signal.

  • Page 34: Utility

    MIDI In Channel Sets the receive channel of the Finalizer. When set to Omni the Finalizer will respond to all channels. When set to Off no MIDI will be received. Prg. Change Sets whether the Finalizer should respond to MIDI program changes or not.

  • Page 35: Midi Out

    Insert a PC Card in the card slot and press OK. All RAM presets This number is added to the outgoing program number. of the Finalizer will now be backed up to the memory card. Card > Mem Insert the PC Card containing your presets and press OK. All Security presets will now be stored back into the Finalizer RAM.

  • Page 36: Reset Page

    This will clear all RAM presets. Store User Def. When you have a perfect setup of your Finalizer, you are able to store this as your own default setup. This function is very useful, for example when you have finished a special production and want to go back to normal.

  • Page 37: Technical Reference

    TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS Analog Input Connectors: XLR balanced (pin 2 hot) Impedance: 15 kOhm Max. Input Level: +22 dBu Sensitivity: @ 12 dB headroom: -22 dBu to 10 dBu A to D Conversion: 20 bit (4 bit, 64 times oversampling) Dynamic Range: >...

  • Page 38: Troubleshooting

    - You are using analog inputs, but the input selector in the I/O menu is set to digital in. - The analog input level is set too low. No sound through the Finalizer - You are using analog inputs, but the input selector in the I/O menu is set to digital in.

  • Page 39: Midi Implementation Chart

    MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART STUDIO MASTERING PROCESSOR: Finalizer - JUNE 24, 1996 Version 1.0 Function Transmitted Recognized Remarks Basic Channel Default Changed 1-16 1-16 Mode Default Messages Altered Note Number True Voice Velocity Note ON Note OFF After Touch Key’s Ch’s...

  • Page 40: Self-Test Program

    Pedal test The keys must be pressed in the order they are requested by the Select Pedal test by pressing OK. Finalizer to pass the test. Connect a momentary pedal to the pedal socket. Press OK key again to exit test.

  • Page 41: Glossary

    DAT or CDR recorder should always be dithered to 16 bit. PRO/CON LEVELS Depending on which equipment you are using along with the Finalizer, you must set the PRO/CON parameters correctly in the I/O setup menu. Finalizer Analog Inputs: Consumer range: -16 dB to +10 dB, nominal level = -10 dB...

  • Page 42: Appendix Tutorial

    Play the music from the top a couple of times, and confirm that Finalizer Tutorial The basic idea with the Finalizer is to touch up the last details of the start is silenced. your mix and enhance the energy and level, in order to make it If you only want to remove tape noise, it might be enough to use sound punchier and louder.
  • Page 43 “look-ahead” time will prevent any over- shoot from the Finalizer. The Crossover A last thing to remember about the Finalizer’s dynamic section is that the adjustable crossover frequencies are critical to the unit’s proper operation. By changing the crossover setting to match the...
  • Page 44 These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installations. TC Electronic A/S, Grimhøjvej 3, 8220 Brabrand, Denmark, This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency hereby declares on own responsibility that following product: energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruc- tions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
  • Page 45 Why make a Master Fader? If a fade is performed before the Finalizer, the Compressor will try to increase the level as the fader decreases. To avoid this problem, fades must always be done after the Finalizer. The Master Fader makes it possible to perform a hand-fade on the very output of the Finalizer enabling you to keep your fade in digital domain and ensuring perfect tracking of left and right.
  • Page 46 Master Fader...

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