DTAR SOLSTICE
Owner's Manual

SOLSTICE
Explanation of features
EQ Controls in General
The Solstice EQ section is made up of filters composed of low noise discrete components that are side-chained out of the direct signal path. For more information on the subject of EQ, see Appendix B. 7, 21 Bass Control The Bass control provides 12dB of boost and cut and is centered at 155Hz/Q-.61. 8, 22 Midrange Control The Midrange control provides 12dB of boost and cut and is centered at 796Hz/Q-.56. 9, 23 Treble Control The Treble control provides 12dB of boost and cut and is centered at 10KHz/Q-.37 . 10, 24 Clipping Indicators Indicate that the signal level, as sensed after the EQ section, is 6dB below clipping or +14dbm. At the onset of clipping you will start to hear audible distortion, a sign to turn down either your input gain control or to back off of EQ boost. If you are seeing the indicator light up using a microphone plugged into one of the XLR connectors, you might try engaging the 20 dB mic pad. See �Setting Your Level� on page 1. 11, 25 Phase Switch Allows reversal of signal phase for feedback control or to provide phase agreement between two signal sources. See Appendix C for more information on phase. 12 Mute Indicator The yellow LED will be lit when the Mute button is engaged. 13 Mute Button Removes the signal normally present at both the XLR output and the single ended output. The Tuner output remains functional to allow for silent tuning. The mute LED will be lit when the mute is engaged. For more information on the use of the mute and using a remote foot switch for muting, see the section on page 3. 14 Power Indicator Shows the presence of DC power from the power supply. The power remains on until the cable from the wall-mounted transformer is removed or until the transformer is unplugged from the wall. Note that there is no power switch on Solstice; if it�s plugged in it�s on! 26 Effects Mix Blends the signal present in the Master Effects Loop with the dry signal. If no external device is plugged into the Master Effects Loop jacks, this control will have no effect on the signal. 27 Master Volume Controls the single ended output only, the XLR output is unaffected by this control.

TM

Front Panel
1, 15 - High Impedance Input Jacks These inputs can be used for basically anything connected to a 1/4� plug. The input impedance is 10Meg Ohms (10,000,000 Ohms), so they are well suited to piezo type pickups (for more information on Impedance considerations, see Appendix A.) The input stage is a low-noise hybrid circuit with internally adjustable gain variable from 0dB to 24db. We have pre-set it at 18db. This allows a signal of nearly 1 Vrms to be present at the input without clipping. Both Ch.1 and Ch.2 input jack will accept stereo signals, but this feature is functional only if one of the two high impedance inputs is unused. In other words, you can plug a stereo signal into channel 1, and the signal present on the ring will be automatically routed to the unoccupied channel 2, or vice versa. If the phantom power switch is engaged, +15V will be supplied to the ring of the respective channel jack. Please note: Because of this unique feature, a pop noise will tend to be generated when removing a plug from either jack. Therefore, it is advisable to either turn the channel volumes down or engage the Mute button before removing a plug from the high impedance input jacks. 2, 16 High Impedance Input Volume Control Acts as a normal volume control located directly after each respective high impedance input. 3, 17 Phantom Power Button Engages or disengages +15V phantom power for each channel. Press button in to engage. Phantom power will be present at the + and � terminals of the XLR input and at the Ring connection of the High Impedance input. Please be sure to only engage phantom power if it is truly needed in your system. Inappropriate use of phantom power could be harmful to certain electronic devices in your signal chain. 4, 18 20dB Mic Pad Push this button in to engage a 20dB pad (gain reduction) on the XLR input if your microphone signal is particularly hot. 5, 19 Microphone Inputs This stage is another low-noise hybrid circuit. The design is unique, but is very similar to some stages used in top of the line mixing consoles. The gain is set at 40db but can be reduced to a level more compatible with high output condenser microphones by engaging the 20dB pad switch. 6, 20 Microphone Volume Control Acts as a normal volume control located directly after each respective mic amp.

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