Antares AMM1 Hardware user manual

							©2000 Antares Audio Technologies. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
All names of microphone manufacturers and microphone model designations
appearing in this manual are used solely to identify the microphones analysed in
the development of our digital models and do not in any way imply any association
with or endorsement by any of the named manufacturers.
Antares Audio Technologies
231 Technology Circle
Scotts Valley, California 95066 USA
voice: (831) 461-7800
email: [email protected]
web: www.antarestech.com
Printed in USA Rev 1.1-11/2000 
						

							Contents
Welcome 5
Technical Support 6
Introducing the AMM-1 Chapter 1
Overview 7
About the Technology 8
So What Exactly Does It Do? 8
Setting Up Chapter 2 9
Panel Controls and Chapter 3
The Front Panel 10
The Back Panel 13
Operation Chapter 4
Live or Mixdown? 14
Signal Flow 14
Controls 15
Input Section 15
Source Mic Section 16
Modeled Mic Section 21
Preserve Source 25
Tube Saturation 26
Bypass 27
Output Level 28
System Edit 28
Connectors 
						

							The Microphone Models Chapter 5
Adding New Mic Models 33
Realistic Expectations Chapter 6 36
Get Creative Chapter 7 40
Appendix 41
Acknowledgments 47
AMM-1 Specifications 48
Index 49 
						

							5
Welcome!
On behalf of everyone at Antares Audio Technologies, we’d like to
offer both our thanks and congratulations on your decision to
purchase the AMM-1 Microphone Modeler.
Before you proceed any farther, we’d like to strongly encourage you
to fill out and return the AMM-1 registration card. To make it as
easy as possible, we’ve included a sticker with your serial number
already attached to the card. It’s probably a good idea also to write
it in your manual for future reference.
As an AMM-1 owner, you are entitled to receive notification of any
software upgrades, technical support, and advance announcements
of upcoming products. But we can’t send you stuff unless we know
who and where you are. So please, send that card in.
At Antares, we are committed to excellence in quality, customer
service, and technological innovation. With your purchase of the
AMM-1, you have created a relationship with Antares which we
hope will be long and gratifying. Let us know what you think.
You can count on us to listen.
Again, thanks.
The Whole Antares Crew 
						

							6
Technical Support
In the unlikely event that you experience a problem using your
AMM-1, try the following:
1. Make another quick scan through this manual. Who knows? You
may have stumbled onto some feature that you didn’t notice the
first time through.
2. Check our web page for tips, techniques, or any late-breaking
information: www.antarestech.com
3. Call your local Antares dealer.
4. Call us at (831) 461-7814 Monday through Friday between 9am
and 5pm USA Pacific Standard Time.
5. Email us at: [email protected]
For options 3, 4 and 5, please be prepared to provide the serial
number of your AMM-1. 
						

							7
Chapter 1: Introducing the AMM-1
Overview
If you’ve spent any time lately flipping through the pages of pro
audio magazines, you have almost certainly noticed the intense
focus on microphones. From the proliferation of exotic new mics to
the almost cult-like following of certain historical classics, never has
the choice been greater. But amassing a substantial collection of
high-end mics is financially prohibitive for all but the most well-
heeled studios.
Enter the Antares AMM-1.
Using our patented Spectral Shaping Tool™ technology, we’ve
created digital models of a wide variety of microphones, from
historical classics to modern exotics, as well as a selection of
industry-standard workhorses. Simply tell the AMM-1 what
microphone you are actually using and what microphone you’d
like it to sound like. It’s as simple as that.
With the AMM-1, you can afford to record each track through a
model of the specific mic that will best produce that ideal sound
you’re looking for. Or use it in live performance to get the sound
of mics you’d never consider using on stage. You can even use it
during mixdown to effectively change the mic on an already
recorded track.
Not only do the models reproduce the sonic characteristics that
make each microphone unique, but they also give you control
of each mic’s specific options. Does the mic have a low cut filter?
If so, it’s in the model. Wind screen on or off? Close or far place-
ment? Each option results in the same sonic effect that it would
have with the actual modeled mic. And for that final touch of
perfection, you can even add some tasty tube saturation.
And with the ability to download new models from our web
site, the AMM-1 will always keep you at the forefront of the
microphone art. 
						

							8
About The Technology
The models employed by the AMM-1 are not derived from theoreti-
cal considerations. They are generated by a proprietary analysis
process that is applied to each physical mic modeled. Not only the
sonic characteristics, but the behavior of other parameters such as
low-cut filters or proximity effects accurately reflect the specific
performance of each individual microphone we model. The preci-
sion of these models allows the AMM-1 to reproduce even the
subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) sonic variations that one often
finds in different samples of the same model of microphone. Conse-
quently, for some important mics, we’ve provided multiple models,
each based on measurements taken from individual mics.
Another advantage of our model-based approach is that there is
essentially no processing delay apart from the natural phase effects
of the microphones being modeled.
Finally, the quality and signal-to-noise characteristics of the process-
ing are pristine. Because of our commitment to model-based pro-
cessing, there are none of the limitations or distortions characteristic
of FFT-based algorithms. The quality of the output is limited only by
the quality of the input.
So What Exactly Does It Do?
While there is a lot of fairly complicated stuff going on under the
hood, the essential functionality of the AMM-1 is really quite simple.
Basically, audio originally recorded by a microphone is input to the
AMM-1 where it is first processed by a “Source Model” which serves
to neutralize the known characteristics of the input mic. The audio is
then processed by a second “Modeled Mic” model which imposes
the characteristics of the modeled mic onto the previously neutral-
ized signal. Finally, the audio is passed through a model of a high-
quality tube preamp offering the option of classic tube saturation
distortion. 
						

							9
Chapter 2:
Setting Up the AMM-1
Setting up the AMM-1 is very straightforward.
1. Find a suitable location. The AMM-1 is designed to be mounted
in a standard 19-inch equipment rack.
2. Confirm that the included power supply is correct for the elec-
tricity in your part of the world. If you are not sure, or the
power supply has a plug that is incompatible with your wall
sockets, contact your local Antares dealer for help.
Important! Do not attempt to modify the supply or use any
other supply that is not specifically intended for the AMM-1.
3. First, connect the power supply’s 7-pin DIN connector to the AC
INPUT jack on the rear of the AMM-1. Then plug the power
supply into an AC outlet.
4. Connect a balanced or unbalanced audio input to one of the
INPUT jacks or a digital input to the AES/EBU digital input
connector. (see Chapter 3 for details).
5. Connect a cable to one of the Analog OUTPUT jacks or the AES/
EBU digital output connector and route the output as appropri-
ate for your application.
6. If you will be controlling your AMM-1 via MIDI or downloading
new mic models via Standard MIDI Files, connect a MIDI cable
from your MIDI source to the ATR-1’s MIDI IN jack.
An Important Note About Grounding: The AMM-1 is an ex-
tremely quiet piece of gear. When properly connected and
grounded, analog noise and hum will be inaudible. However, as
you’re no doubt well aware, every studio has its own unique
quirks when it comes to connections, grounding and noise. For
the absolute best sonic performance, ensure that your analog
input and output are fully balanced. 
						

							10
Chapter 3:
Panel Controls and Connectors
The Front Panel
1 Power Switch As will be immediately obvious, pushing this
button in turns on your AMM-1. It will be left as a exercise for
the user to discover how to turn it off.
2 D-in LED This LED lights to indicate the presence of a valid
digital input at the AES/EBU input connector
3 Input Level Adjusts the digital level of the audio. Used in combi-
nation with the Level Meter LEDs to set the optimum input level
without clipping. Turning this knob temporarily displays the
input level in dBs on the LCD.
4 Input Level Meter These five LEDs light to indicate the level of
the audio as it is being processed by both the Source and Mod-
eled mic models. Ideally, you should adjust the input to the
highest level that does not consistently cause the top red LED to
light. (The red LED lights at a level of -3dB. Digital clipping,
which introduces a particularly nasty-sounding distortion, will
occur if the input exceeds 0dB.)
5 Edit Select Button Press this button to select either the Source
Mic or Modeled Mic for editing. The associated LED lights to
indicate the current selection.
6 Preserve Source Buttons Pressing the Treble or Bass Preserve
Source button causes the selected frequency range of of the
input signal to be passed through the AMM-1 without process-
ing (preserving the sound of your source mic in that range). The
associated LEDs light to indicate this state.
7 LCD An easy-to-read 20 character by 2 line display. You can set
the optimum viewing angle in the System menu (See Chapter 4).
8 Data Entry Knob As its name implies, turn it to enter data.