Wheatstone M-1 Digital Mic Processor
The M-1 is a flexible digital microphone processor. It offers unlimited presets, security and networkability in an all-digital framework, with parameters that are easy to set up. Either from the front panel, or from the GUI - all parameters of the M-1 can be controlled to give each voice talent his or her own personal sound at the press of a button.
The M-1 microphone processor is equipped with a Super-Quiet (SQ) microphone preamplifier featuring an extremely low noise floor, very wide dynamic range, faithfully accurate transient response, and ruler flat frequency response. Operating in harmony with high quality 24-bit A/D converters and a 96kHz base sample rate, the M-1 adds absolutely no undesired coloration to the signal and faithfully preserves the sound of any microphone and talent combination.
The features on the M-1 include four-band parametric EQ, high- and low-pass filters, de-esser and expander and of course, our proprietary Vorsis dynamics processing. The unit comes loaded with factory designed presets, and designing your own is easy, thanks to features such as “Quick Save” and ‘Quick Compare” that allow you to toggle back and forth between different presets as you adjust them. From one GUI, an entire group of M-1’s can be controlled, making multiple microphone processor management easy.
Wheatstone-designed Dynamics Control
A high performance de-esser and a smooth sounding, very low distortion compressor/limiter dynamics control section round out the M-1’s offerings to create powerful and authoritative presence on production or on-air microphones.
Wheatstone-designed Equalization
Very high quality parametric and shelving equalization is available to sweeten the sound of any microphone as desired without adding noise or undesirable artifacts to the signal.
Wheatstone Processing Presets
A variety of ready-to-use factory processing presets are provided, carefully tailored for different processing goals and formats. You can select a factory preset, confident that it will sound great just as it is. Or use a factory preset as a starting point and create a custom sound for each announcer, then save the new settings as a personalized user preset. In a facility with multiple microphone processors, presets saved in one unit can be easily copied to the others.
Features
- Control of all audio parameters
- Intuitive PC graphical user interface (GUI)
- High quality, low noise microphone preamp
- Phantom power
- Metering: In/Out, de-esser, compression, expansion
- Password based security
- 44.1, 48 or 96 kHz AES3 output sample rates
- Mic or line level out, selectable from rear panel
- 24-bit A/D, D/A converters
- Preset storage/recall via GUI
- Variable frequency de-esser
- Voice phase scrambler
- Adjustable compression
- Downward expansion
- EQ: two-band parametric plus variable high and low shelving
- Tunable high and low pass filters
- FFT voice energy display via GUI
- Quick save/compare function
- TCP/IP Ethernet remote control
- Takes up only one rack space
M-1 Control GUI
The Control Software loads on an external PC. You can connect the PC directly to the processor, or install the processor on your station’s Ethernet LAN and access it from anywhere in your network (or remotely over VPN).
With Control Software no adjustment is more than two mouse clicks away. And unlike other processors, every processing control is available and labeled for exactly what it does, giving you ultimate power to create your ideal sound.
The remote control screen is divided into an upper control area and a lower dynamic section that includes real-time display of gain reduction as well as a frequency-domain graph that shows the spectral characteristics of your audio. Every screen also includes accurate metering of input and output peak and average levels. Tabs across the top of the GUI software allow immediate access to each section of the processing - parametric EQ, de-esser, filters, compressor and downward expander.
All parameters of the M-1 are adjustable using the included Windows-based GUI which can control as many as 254 M-1 devices.on.
Talent Control Interface
Voice talent can activate his or her own personal sound at the press of a button using the Talent Control Interface, a special GUI designed for preset recall only. The Wheatstone Talent Control Interface software can reside on an air studio/control room PC and gives talent the ability to recall presets from any Wheatstone microphone processor without allowing processing adjustments.
FACTORY PRESETS
Factory presets are pre-installed and write protected.
New factory presets can be downloaded from the Wheatstone-Processing.com web site and installed via the Windows-based GUI software.
Unlimited preset storage on the host PC.
AUDIO INPUTS
Electronic differential: >2KΩ (bridging)
Optimum source impedance: 200Ω
Phantom Power: 48VDC, switchable on/off
Gain: -10dB to +70dB in 1dB steps
Frequency response: ±0.2dB 20Hz-20KHz
Equivalent input noise (EIN): -128dBu
THD+N: <0.03%, 20Hz-20kHz, -50dBu input
SMPTE DIM: 0.00007%
AUDIO OUTPUTS
Line-level output
Digital XLR-M connector: one
Reference Level: 0VU=-20dBFS
Output Sample Rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz and 96 kHz
Balanced: 110Ω AES-3 0VU=-20dBfs
Analog XLR-M connector: one
Electronically balanced: <10Ω source impedance
Optimum load impedance: >600Ω
Maximum output level: +24dBu
FILTERS
Asymmetry filter Phase rotator, 4th order allpass, switchable in/out
High-pass: 24dB/octave Butterworth
Adjustable: 20Hz-1kHz
Low-pass: 24dB/octave Butterworth
Adjustable: 1-20kHz
DOWNWARD EXPANDER
Threshold Adjustable: -60dBFS to 0dBFS
Depth Adjustable: 0-40dB
Close Adjustable: 50ms-3s
DE-ESSER
Control: Recursive-style
Threshold Adjustable: -10dBFS to -60dBFS
Release time Adjustable: 50ms-500ms
De-ess frequency Adjustable: 20Hz-20kHz
PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER
Routable: Pre or post compressor
Band 1: Shelving
Adjustable: 20-200Hz
Boost/cut: ±14dB
Bands 2 and 3: Parametric
Adjustable: 20Hz-20kHz
Boost/cut: ±14dB
Bandwidth: 0.2-3.0 octave
Band 4: Shelving
Adjustable: 2kH-20kHz
Boost/cut: ±14dB
COMPRESSOR
Control: Broadband
Threshold: -10dBFS to -50dBFS
Attack time: 0.2ms-1s
Release time: 33ms-1s
Ratio: 1:1-20:1
LOGIC I/O
Optional Wheatstone Announcer Panel or custom interface Connections:
ON, OFF, Cough, ON tally, OFF tally, power and ground.
CONTROL
Ethernet 10-100BASE-T.
PHYSICAL
Dimensions:
19”/48.3cm wide
1.75”/4.5cm high
10”/25.4cm deep (allow 3.25”/8.25cm for rear connectors)
Weight: 8.1lbs/3.68kg
Shipping weight: 13lbs/5.9kg
Power Requirements: 90-260VAC, 50-60Hz, 24VA