American Audio CD Player DCDPRO 300 MKII User Manual

							DCD -P R O 300
M KII
© American AUDIO Los Angeles, CA 90058 USA 
						

							WARNING:TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, 
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS CD PLAYER TO 
WATER OR MOISTURE.
NOTE:
This unit may cause interference to radio
and  television reception.
CAUTION
TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT USE THIS
(POLARIZED) PLUG WITH AN EXTENSION CORD,
RECEPTACLE OR OTHER OUTLET UNLESS THE
BLADES CAN BE CAREFULLY INSERTED TO PREVENT
BLADE EXPOSURE.
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE THE COVER RACK. THERE ARE NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.  REFER SERVICE TO YOUR 
AUTHORIZED AMERICAN AUDIO DEALER.
The lightning flash with an arrow triangular
symbol is intended to alert the user to the
presence of uninsulated “dangerous volt-
age” within the products enclosure, and may
be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a
risk of electric shock.
CAUTION:
1. Handle the power supply cord carefully.  Do not  damage or deform; it may cause electric shock 
or malfunction when used.  Hold plug attach
ment when removing from wall outlet.  Do not 
pull on the cord.
2. To avoid electric shock, do not open the top  cover when the unit is plugged in.  If problems 
occur with the unit, call your local American 
AUDIO dealer.
3. Do not place metal objects or spill liquid inside  the CD player.  Electric shock or malfunction 
may occur.
Please record and retain the model name and 
serial number from your rating label. Model No.______________________________
Serial No.______________________________
Line Voltage Selection 
(for multiple voltage model only)
• The desired voltage may be set withthe VOLTAGE SELECTOR switch
on the rear panel (using a screwdriver).
• Do not twist the VOLTAGE SELECTOR switch with excessive force as this may 
cause damage.
• If the VOLTAGE SELECTOR switch does  not move smoothly, please contact a 
qualified service technician.
NOTE:
This CD player uses a semiconductor laser.  It is
recommended for use in a room at the following
temperature: 41˚F - 95˚F / 5˚C - 35˚C
CAUTION:
USE OF CONTROLS OR ADJUSTMENTS
OTHER THAN THOSE SPECIFIED HEREIN MAY
RESULT IN HAZARDOUS RADIATION EXPO-
SURE.
THE COMPACT DISC PLAYER SHOULD NOT BE
ADJUSTED OR REPAIRED BY ANYONE EXCEPT
PROPERLY QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
IMPORTANT SAFETY ITEMS FOR U.S.A. &
CANADA MODEL ONLY
The exclamation point triangular symbol is
intended to alert the user to the presence of
important operating and maintenance (ser-
vicing) instructions in the user manual
accompanying the CD player.
CAUTION
Do not open -
risk of electric shock
VOLTAGE SELECTOR switch
115V
230V
FUSE
FUSE
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 2 
						

							I. Read Instructions - All the safety and operatinginstructions should be read before the appliance
is operated.
2. Save Instructions - The safety and operating instructions should be saved for future 
reference.
3. Heed Warnings - All warnings on the appliance  and in the operating instructions should be 
adhered to.
4. Follow Instructions - All operating and user  instructions should be followed.
5. Water and Moisture - The appliance should not  be used near water - for example, near a bath
tub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a 
wet basement or near a swimming pool, etc.
6. Ventilation - The appliance should be situated  so that its location or position does not interfere 
with its proper ventilation. For example, the 
appliance should not be situated on a bed, sofa,
rug, or similar surface that may block the 
ventilation openings; or, placed in a built-in 
installation, such as a bookcase or cabinet that 
may impede the flow of air through the 
ventilation openings.
7. Heat - The appliance should be situated away  from heat sources such as radiators, heat 
registers, stoves, or other appliances (including  amplifiers) that produce heat.
8. Power Sources - The appliance should be  connected to a power supply only of the type 
described in the operating instructions or as 
marked on the appliance.
9. Grounding or Polarization - Precautions should  be taken so that the grounding or polarization 
means of an appliance is not defeated. 10. Power-Cord Protection - Power-supply cords 
should be routed so that they are not likely 
to be walked on or pinched by items placed 
upon or against them, paying particular 
attention to cords at plugs, convenience 
receptacles, and the point where they exit      
from the appliance.
11. Cleaning - The appliance should be cleaned  only as recommended by the manufacturer.
12. Non-use Periods - The power cord of the  appliance should be unplugged from the outlet 
when left unused for a long period of time.
13. Object and Liquid Entry - Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not 
spilled into the enclosure through openings.
14. Damage Requiring Service - The appliance  should be serviced by qualified service 
personnel when:
A.  The power-supply cord or the plug has  been damaged.
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been   spilled into the appliance.
C. The appliance has been exposed to rain  or water.
D. The appliance does not appear to operate  normally or exhibits a marked change in 
performance.
E.  The appliance has been dropped, or the  enclosure damaged.
15. Servicing - The user should not attempt to  service the appliance beyond that described in 
the operating instructions. All other servicing 
should be referred to qualified service 
personnel.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 3 
						

							PREPARATIONS 
 
1. Checking the Contents 
Check that the carton contains the following items: 
1) Main unit 
2) Control unit 
3)  Operating instructions ( this booklet) 
4)  Two sets of RCA cables. 
5)  Two Control cords (6 feet / 1.8 meters) 
 
 
2. Installing the Units 
Mount the units onto your console or rack with 19 EIA rack rails. 
 
 
CAUTION: 
• The player will work normally when the main 
unit is mounted with the front panel within 
15 degrees of the vertical plane. If the unit is 
tilted excessively, discs may not be loaded or 
unloaded properly. (Figure 1) 
 
• The control panels LCDs are designed to be 
clearly visible within the angles shown in 
Figure 2
. Mount the control unit so that the 
visual angle is within this range.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fig. 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fig. 2 
 
 
3. Connections 
1)  Turn off the POWER switch. 
2)  Connect the RCA pin cables to the inputs on your mixer. 
3)  Connect the control cables to the REMOTE connector on the main unit. 
 
CAUTION: 
Be sure to use the supplied control cables. Us
ing another type of cable may result in damage. 
Be sure the power is off when connecting the contro l cables. Otherwise the units may not work properly. 
 
 
 
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 4  
						

							GENERAL NOTES ON USE 
 
• Avoid high temperatures. 
Allow for sufficient heat dispersion when installed on a rack. 
• Handle the power cord carefully. 
• Hold the plug when unplugging the cord. 
• Keep the set free from moisture, water, and dust. 
• Unplug the power cord when not using the set for long periods of ti\
me. 
• Do not obstruct the ventilation holes. (For sets with ventilation \
holes.) 
• Do not let foreign objects in the set. 
• Do not let insecticides, benzene, and thinner come in contact with the set. 
• Never disassemble or modify the set in any way. 
 
 
MAIN FEATURES 
 
(1) 8 times over sampling 1 bit D/A converter 
(2) Beat counter 
(3) Auto cue 
(4) Frame search 
(5) Realtime cue 
(6) 4 different speed scan 
(7) Pitch display 
(8) 10 number buttons for direct track access 
(9) 30 programmable tracks 
(10) Ten cue points can be memorized 
(11) Digital output RCA coaxial 
(12) Fader Start , Fader Stop , (back cue) Relay playback (using th\
e control jack)* 
(13) Large brite LCD Screen can be viewed from wide angles. 
(14) Transport protection 
        *Must have a Mixer equipped with the signal output. Look for this feature in Future American DJ Mixers. 
(15) Mechanical Anti-Skip 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 5   
						

							GENERAL FEATURES
American audio • DCD-PRO400™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 6
A. REMOTE UNIT FRONT 
1. RECALL - This button allow you to cue up any of 
the 10 memory points that have been memorized. Press 
RECALL  button then any of the 10 number buttons. the 
player will cue up the selected point and pause. 
 2. MEMORY -  This button allows you to program up 
to 10 cue points on the CD, Press the  MEMORY 
button 
during play or pause, the memory LED lights up. Use 
frame search to reach desired point, then press a 
number button to memorize that starting point. Repeat 
above steps to memorize all 10 starting points if desired. 
 3. NUMBER  buttons (1 to 10) These buttons are 
used to select a particular track number starting point. 
They are also used in  MEMORY 
and RECALL 
modes. 
 4. PROGRAM -  Depress this button to stop the CD 
an enter the program mode. Note the word “PROGRAM” 
is indicated on the display. Select each track to be 
programmed with the f. skip and b.skip buttons (13 & 14). 
and press the PROGRAM button between selections. 
You can program up to 30 tracks. Press PLAY to start 
the program. To exit and erase program hold the 
program button down for more than 2 seconds while the 
unit is stopped, open the disc tray, or turn off the power. 
 
5. REPEAT - This button allows you to select between 
REPEAT 1 
REPEAT ALL CONTINULUS PLAY 
 
6. SGL/CTN -  You can choose between a single 
track to play or all tracks in order by pressing once or 
twice. 
 
7. OPEN/CLOSE -  (Disc Tray Open/Close)- Press 
to load or eject the disc. Each press will open or close 
the disc tray on the transport. NOTE: Tray will not open 
unless the disc has been paused. 
8. LCD DISPLAY  - Indicates all the functions, as 
they are occurring, with the CD. These functions are 
explained in the next section. 
 9. PITCH BEND  +/- 16% (Pitch Bend Button) - 
When 
each of the two CD players is playing a CD, the pitch 
bend function allows the positioning of the bass beats to 
be matched after the pitch of each disc is matched. 
Either player can “catch up” or “fall back” to match the 
other player. The pitch will automatically rise while the + 
button is pressed (allowing “catch up”) and return to the 
original pitch when the button is released. The pitch will 
automatically drop while the - button is pressed (allowing 
“fall back”) and return to the original pitch when the 
button is released. By changing the pitch of one disc with 
respect to the other in this way the beats can be matched. 
 10. PITCH  (Pitch Button)- This button activates the 
Pitch Slider (14).   
 11.  SHUTTLE WHEEL -  (OUTER RING) This wheel 
has 4 forward and 4 reverse speed positions for 
searching through songs. The more you turn the wheel in 
either direction the faster you search through the music. 
 
12.  JOG WHEEL -  (INNER RING) This jog wheel 
serves 2 functions depending on the mode you are 
working in. 
 
a.  The jog wheel will act as a slow frame search 
control when the CD is not playing but either paused or 
set to a cue point. To set a new frame cue point, spin the 
wheel then press PLAY when you have determined the 
proper position. Press CUE to return to the “CUE 
POINT”. 
  
						

							GENERAL FEATURES (Cont.)
25
24
2930
26
27
28
313233
36
35
34
37
 
 
 
13&14.TRACK (Track Buttons) -  
These buttons are used 
to select the track to be played. FORWARD SKIP 
& BACK SKIP. 
15. TIME  (Time Button)  - 
The TIME button switches 
between ELAPSED PLAYING TIME, 
REMAINING TIME in a selection and TOTAL 
REMAINING TIME of the disc. 
16. PITCH SLIDER -  The pitch can be changed up to   
+/- 12% by Pressing the PITCH BUTTON so the   
PITCH LED is lit, then moving the sliding fader. 
The pitch will not be changed if the PITCH LED is 
off. 
17.  BPM BUTTON - Switches the mode of the 
display between showing the BPM and the 
percentage change in PITCH. Use COUNTER 
BUTTON  
18.  COUNTER BUTTON -  Tap this button with the 
beat of the music to determine the current Beats 
Per Minute (BPM). 
19.  REALTIME CUE –  This allows you to set the CUE 
POINT without stopping the play back. This button 
also sets the beginning of a seamless loop.   
20. CUE -  Pressing the CUE button during play 
provides a return to the position at which play was 
started. If PAUSE is used before CUE or CUE 
POINT was set, that will become the cue point. 
Alternately pressing the PLAY button and the 
CUE button allows the CD to be played from the 
same position any number of times. The CUE 
LED will light up from the time the Cue button 
is pressed until the CD has reset to the position at 
which play was started. Steady lighting of this 
LED indicates the ready condition. 
21.  OUT / EXIT -  Used to set the ending point when 
looping music. The player will start to loop 
continuous. Until you press this button again to 
exit. This is not a seamless function. 
22. START/PAUSE  (Play/Pause Button) - Each press 
of the PLAY/PAUSE BUTTON causes the 
operation to change from play to pause or from 
pause to play. 
23. RELOOP BUTTON - If a LOOP has been made, 
and you have hit the exit button, press this button 
to enter the loop again. To exit loop press 
OUT/EXIT button. 
B. LCD  
26.PLAY INDICATOR () - The PLAY indicators light 
during playback. 
27.PAUSE INDICATOR () - The PAUSE indicators 
light during pause or cue mode. 
28.A-B INDICATOR – These light when player 
performs repeat A-B playback. 
29.PROGRAM INDICATOR - This lights when 
program mode is set or played. 
30.REPEAT Indicator -  (REPEAT 1, REPEAT ALL) 
These light during repeat one or all playback. 
28,31,32.TRACK, MINUTE, SECOND –  These 
Displays information on the current track and time. 
33.PITCH OR BPM DISPLAY - Show either beat per 
minute or percent of pitch adjustment. 
34.BPM INDICATOR - Lights up when BPM Button is 
engaged. 
35.PITCH INDICATOR- Lights to show percent of 
pitch is displayed. 
36.ELAPSED & TOTAL REMAIN INDICATORS – 
These indicate that the time shown on the display 
is the ELAPSED, TOTAL remaiming or SINGLE 
song remaining time. 
37.LOOP, RELOOP – displayed when loop is 
engaged LOOP flashes when playing loop. 
D.MAIN UNIT REAR PANEL 
LINE OUT 1 and 2 – The audio signals from each 
player are output from these jacks. 
REMOTE - Connect this connector to the control unit 
using the included control cords.. 
DIGITAL - connect to Minidisc or CDR device. 
VOLTAGE SELECTOR – (multi-vlotage models only) 
On multi- voltage models, use this to select the 
power voltage. Always disconnect the power plug 
before changing the voltage. 
E.CONTROL UNIT REAR PANEL(FIGURE 4) 
CONNECT TO MAIN UNIT – Connect this connector 
to the REMOTE connector on the main unit using 
the included control cords. 
  CONTROL – Connect this connector to the control out 
from mixer control out. Available on future mixers. 
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 7  
						

							BASIC OPERATIONS 
 
1. OPENING AND CLOSING THE DISC TRAY AND LOADING DISCS 
a)  Opening and closing the disc tray 
•  This operation only works when the power is on. 
• Press the OPEN/CLOSE button to open or close the disc tray. OPEN/CLOSE buttons are provided on  both the main unit and control unit or 
•  Press PLAY button, tray automatically closes. 
•  If tray is not closed after 60 seconds it will close automatically and p\
ause. 
•   The disc trays cannot be opened during playback to prevent playback from\
 being interrupted if the 
OPEN/CLOSE button is pressed accidentally. Stop  playback, then press the OPEN/CLOSE button. 
 
 
2. LOADING DISCS 
•  Hold the disc by the edges and place it in the disc tr ay. Do not touch the signal surface (the glossy side). 
•  When using 5 inch/12 cm discs, place the disc in the outer tray guides (Figure 8), and when using 3 inch
/8 cm discs, place them securely in the inner guides (Figure 9). 
 
 
  
                   Fig.8                                                   Fig.9 
 
CAUTION: 
•  DO NOT 
place any foreign objects in the disc tray, and do no t place more than one disc in the disc tray at a 
time. Doing so may result in malfunction. 
•   DO NOT
 
push the disc tray in manually when the power is of f, as this may result in malfunction and 
damage  the player. 
 
3. SELECTING TRACKS 
•    Select desired track using NUMBER Button or 
•    Press the TRACK Buttons once to move  to one higher or lower track or 
•    Hold the TRACK buttons in to change tracks continuously at a higher speed. 
•    When a new track is selected during playback, playback begins as soon as the search operation is 
completed. 
 
4. STARTING PLAYBACK 
•    Press the PLAY/PAUSE button during t
he pause or cue to start playback. 
•    The PLAY indicator lights when playback starts. 
•    The point at which playback starts is automatically  stored in the memory as the cue point. The pickup then 
returns to the cue point (the point at which playback  started) when the CUE button is pressed. (Back Cue) 
 
 
 
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 8 
5 in. / 12cm disk3 in. / 8cm disk 
						

							 
 
5. STOPPING PLAYBACK 
•    There are two ways to stop playback. 
1) Press the PLAY/PAUSE button during playback to pause at that point. 
2) Press the CUE button during playback to return to the position at which playback started(Back Cue). 
 
6. PAUSING 
• Press the PLAY/PAUSE button to switch between play and pause. 
• The PAUSE indicator lights when the pause mode is set. 
1) The player has completed the cue or pause o peration and is waiting for the play start command. 
2) When the PLAY/PAUSE button is pressed, playback  starts and the cue point is stored in the memory. 
3) Playing 
4) The pause mode is set when the PLAY/PAUSE button is pressed again. 
5) Pausing 
6) Playback resumes when the PLAY/PAUSE button is pr essed again. The new cue point is stored in the 
memory. 
7) Playing 
 
7. CUEING 
•    ”Cueing” is the action of preparing for playback. When the Cue button is pressed, playback returns to the cue  point and enters pause mode. When the PLAY/PAUSE  button is pressed during the cue mode, playback 
starts. 
•   CUE POINT SETTING:   
A    Playback starts from pause or skip to a new tra
ck during play or pause. The beginning play point will be 
set to the cue point. 
Or, 
B    Press the REALTIME CUE button during playback to set the new cue point. \
    Or 
C  Memorize any of 10 CUE points by pressing MEMORY  then set desired Cue then press any of 10 
number buttons. You can also set any of the 10 Cue points by pressing MEMORY then any of the 
NUMBER Buttons. 
To return to a CUE POINT press CUE BUTTON.  This will return to point A or B above. 
The player has completed the cue or pause operation and is waiting for t\
he play start command. 
When the PLAY/PAUSE button is pressed, playback starts. 
 
To Return to any of the 10 Cue points, press RECALL, then desired number buttons. The player has 
completed the cue or pause operation and is waiting
  for the play start command. When the PLAY
/PAUSE button is pressed, playback starts. 
NOTE:  When play starts via pause or track skipping or s canning, the CUE POINT will change to the start
 point automatically. 
8. AUTO CUE 
When disk is loaded, the cue point is set to the first source of music. \
If track is changed before pressing play, the CUE  POINT is changed to the new starting point. 
If you pause during playback this also sets the new CUE POINT. 
9. FRAME SEARCH 
This is done by first pausing then using the jog wheel  to set the starting point. (When you use the jog wheel 
the monitor function allows you to here what is play ing. Once you have set starting point press PLAY then 
CUE to again mute output.) 
10. SCANNING (FAST FORWARD / FAST REVERSE) 
To do this rotate Shuttle wheel forward or reverse. 
You can scan or reverse in 6 different spee ds depending on how much you rotate the wheel. 
 
 
 
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 9   
						

							 
   
13.REPEAT PLAYBACK
1) Press REPEAT button, the REPEAT 1 indicator lights , the player repeats the one track selected.
2) Press REPEAT button again, the REPEAT ALL indicator lights . The player will then repeat all tracks on disc.
3) Press REPEAT button again, the repeat function is cancelled.
14. PITCH BENDING
• The speed increases or decreases respectively while the PITCH BEND+(9) or PITCH BEND-  button is 
pressed. The extent to which the speed changes is proportionate to the amount of \
time the button is pressed. 
For example, if the PITCH BEND+ button is held in continuously, the speed increases continuously.
• The pitch changed within a range of +/- 16% .
•     The jog wheel will temporarily bend the pitch of the music if the song i\
s already playing by rotating the wheel clockwise to
speed up or counterclockwise to slow down. The speed that you rotate the JOG WHEEL determines the percentage 
of the PITCH BEND.
15. PROGRAM PLAY
       Press the PROG. BUTTON to make the unit enter the program mode and stop condition. 
 The program indicator light. Select Track using NUMBER button press PROG. again. 
     Repeat this up to 30 times.
  Press the PLAY BUTTON to begin playing programmed tracks.
To cancel Program press and hold PROG. BUTTON more than 2 seconds.
(1) Find the BPM of the song playing by pressing the BPM BUTTON. Then tap COUNTER BUTTON (18) firmly to the beat  of the 
music until BPM is displayed on the LCD 
(2) Repeat step 1 for the song you want to mix in. You can listen in by cueing it in your headphones using your mixer or by \
follow 
the BEAT LED  on the CD .
(3) Engage Pitch by pressing PITCH on the side you want to use, make sure Readout is in BPM by pressing BPM\
 BUTTON  until
BPM is lit on LCD. Adjust pitch until same BPM as original song is reached.
MATCHING THE BEATS PER MINUTE (BPM)
BASIC OPERATIONS (CONT.)
 
11. LOOP PLAY 
You can loop between two points continuously. 
Press IN REAL TIME CUE Button for starting point 
Set end point by pressing OUT/EZIT Button, CD will begin looping until OUT/EXIT Buttonis pressed again. 
Press Reloop to again enter the loop. 
NOTE: this is not a seamless function. 
12. TIME DISPLAY 
During normal play, each time you press TIME button, th e display changes to give you the following information 
(Fig.14) 
A = ELAPSED playing time . 
B = REMAINing time in a selection. If the current se lection number is over 34, “...................” is displayed. 
C = TOTAL remaining time of the disc . 
 
 
 
American audio • DCD-PRO300™ INSTRUCTIONS MANUAL • PAGE 10