SP 79 C Control Gonsole
With the highqualityof today'srecordings,tape-to-disk
transferhas become an art which can determine the
successorfailureof an entireproduction.Everychange
of the recordinglevel- proneto overloaddue to the fre-
quency response - and every step affectingthe fre-
quency response,requiresmodificationof the variable
pitch control. Yet one companding system used for
noise reduction (Dolby) requires a slable reference
level. Because of the multitude of consecutive pro-
cessingssteps, each manipulationmay easily lead to
technical errors which can only be detected by ex-
periencedengineers.
The unique experience which The Georg Neumann
Company has amassedin the disk-mastering field over
the years has been investedin the design of the new
SP 79 C control console. In it, all possible switching
functions are logically linked in a way that ensures
Ju ly 1 97 9
AUDIOEXPO RTG EO RGNEUM ANN& CO . G M B H
Badstraße14 ' D-7100Heilbronn/Neckar'Postfach1180
Telefon: (0 7131)8 2275' Telex: 7 28 558 audex d' Telegramm: Audioexport
2256/.81501.
optimizationof all interdependentparameters,while
the soundengineercanfullyconcentrateon the effects
to be achieved.He only has to monitorthe record level
on the vu orthe peak programmeters.
As a furtherconvenience,the controlconsolefeatures
metering of every internalsignalflow parameter and
those fed to the SAI-cutter drivelogic maintainingwith
constant reference to the actual cutting level.
Readingsno longerhaveto be converted,eliminatinga
potential error source. Thanks to the remote-control
facilitiesfor the VMS disk cutting lathe system and the
SAL cutter drive logic,the SP 79 C can be used as the
centralcontrol unit for a whole disk cutting system.
The comprehensiveprocessingfacilitiesofferedbythe
controlconsolepermitmasteringfrom the originaltape
ratherthan a copy.
Pr i nted i n G e rma n y
The main functionsand components provided by the
control console are:
A and B equalizationand level control channels
with manualand automatic switch-over.Cross-fade
capabilityoptional
level monitoringon plasma display peak indicators
(PPM)and standardU.S.vu meters
scope monitoringof cutting stylustip motion
correlationcoefficientmeter
high/lowcut-offf ilters
calibratedlevel control
automaticbanding unit (not with VMS B0)
ellipticalequalizersfor low frequencycross-over
orovisionfor stereo reverberationsend and return
second output for simultaneous,fullyequalizedtape
copy
phase reversal,channel reversal
digitalproductiontimer (automated)
full jack field
board-fadeattenuator
VMS lathe system remote control
audio monitor controls with phase reverse,mono,
a nd La nd Rm ut ing
wiring and relay controls for 4 noise reduction
systems (optional) and 4 U 473 SP compressor
limiterexpanders
The controlconsolecomes in the form of a studiomixer.
All operatingpanelsconsistof specialplug-inmodules
(19 0mm hig h, 40 or 80m m wide) hous ing t h e s u b -
systems and functional units. Additional space is
availablebehind filler panelsfor further equipment.A
17.5inches area has been left on the left-handside of
the control panel for 19" rack mountingunits.
A jack panelwith 104jacks providesaccessto the major
componentin-and outputswithinthe system,eitherfor
testing purposes or for insertionof additionalequip-
me nI.
The switchingfunctionsof the controlconsoleare per-
formed by relaysand electronicswitches.Theswitches
are triggeredby meansof an electronicallyinterlocked
keyboard providing mutual key release within
individualkey groups.
A5-digit LED production timer, automaticallystarted
from the lathe functions,is a standardfeature for pro-
gram timing during tape-to-disktransfer.
The inputs of the modulationas well as of the preview
channelsare providedwith channel and phase rever-
sal. Both modulation and oreview channels are
designedand pre-wiredto accept noisereductionsys-
tems. Active attenuatorsare providedfor level adjust-
ment before and after the noise reduction system.
These have a control range oftl0dB and can be ad-
justed in 0.5d8 steps. Both the programand preview
signalsare controlledin tandem by ganged precision
steo attenuators.
Dual-channel programequalizerswith three selectable
boundaryfrequencieseach for low and highfrequency
equalizationand a rangeof + 15 dB are provided.They
also feature eleven selectable frequenciesfor pres-
e n c e / a b s e n c ee q u a l i z a t i o no v e r a r a n g e o f +1 0 d 8 .
Boost or attenuation can be adjusted by means of
eleven-steprotary selectorsallowingfor preciselyre-
producible settings.Three bandwidths (Q) for pres-
ence/absenceequalizationmay also be selected.
The active attenuatorsand equalizersfor the modu-
lation and preview channelsare providedin duplicate
to permit A/B switch-overoperation.
One plug-in module contains all the controls for A/B
switch-over,which may be either manuallyby pressing
the keys marked A or B, or automaticallyfrom the
automaticbandingunit on pressingthe AUTOMkey.
In this operatingmode,an automaticswitch-overtothe
other program line occurs whenever the automatic
bandingunitcausesa spiralto be cut.Thisfacilityallows
the desired level and equalizationparameter which
havebeen establishedin a trialrun,to be pre-seton the
unused programpath one title ahead.
It has also been found usefulto be able to make Ai B
comparisons between two equalizersettings during
preparationwork priorto a transferin order to establish
optimum equalizationfor each title of a program.
By means of the PREVIEWOFFSETlevel setting con-
trol the level of the preview signalcan be boosted or
reduced againstthat of the programsignalin steps of
1 / 2 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5d
, 6B . T h es e t t i n go f t h e c o n t r o li s i n di ca te d
by multicolorLED's(ForVMS 66/70 only.For VMS B0 a
respectivespecial plug-inmodule is available).
A switch insertableellipticalequalizeris providedfor
both the modulationand previewsignals.As the largest
amplitudes occur in the lower frequency range, the
elliptical equalizer attenuates the vertical recording
portion of the stereo signal by 6dB/octave below a
selectablefrequency of 150Hz or 300 Hz while linear
frequency response of the lateral recording is main-
tained. Reduced space requirementsmake possible
maximum playingtime on the disk.
The next step in the signalprocessingpath consistsofa
pair of two-channelhigh/lowpass filters.
Program and preview channels are wired to take
optional Neumann U 473 SP compressor limiter
expanderwhichcan be factoryinstalledon request.For
operationwith U 473 SP the control console is equip-
ped with an additionallimiterthreshouldcontrol and a
De-Essswitch.
In order to allowthe additionof reverbduringthe mas-
tering process,send and receive signalsfrom rever-
beration chambers or units can be inserted after the
compressorilimitersin the program channels. The
necessarycontrolsare containedin the specialplug-in
m o d u l e m e n t i o n e da b o v e .
The tandem stereo fader is used to board fade modu-
lation at the end of a cut. After the fader the signalis
tapped via a bufferamplifierand may be fed to another
recorder,so that the fully processeddisk master pro-
gram is availableas a simultaneoustape copy,for cas-
sette duplication,for example.
The controlconsoleoutput consistsoftwo dualbooster
amplifiers in conjunction with the four-channel
RELATIVEDISK LEVELattenuator.The latter permits
the ou tpu t lev el eit her t o be inc r eas ed by 8 d B o r
reducedby 4 dB in 1 dB steps.Settingsare indicatedby
multicolorLED's. To simplifyoperation,the meter range
switchingis coupledwith this attenuatorsettingsothat
both output level readingand reading of the monitor
signals returned from the SAL cutter drive logic are
independent of the respective relative cutting level
setting.
Instantchange-overfor the productionof monophonic
records is provided by the MONO TAPEand MONO
MIX keys.The MONO TAPEkey is used for transferof
half-track and full-track monophonic tapes. The
MONO MIX key permits stereophonic tapes to be
transferredfor monophonic record production.In this
case both channelsare mixablefor best mono balance.
Pressingthe TEST OSC key switches the test oscil-
lator to all four programand preview inputs.The oscil-
lator offers six test frequenciesfor alignment of the
entiretransfersystem.lts levelis continuouslyvariable
by means of a potentiometer.Pressingthe CAL key
selects the fixed standardreferencelevel.
Levelsare indicatedon a dual plasmadisplayPPMindi-
cator and two U.S.standardvu meters.For a sine wave
test signal,the vu meters read 6dB higher than the
PPM's.Presslngthe +6 VU key will attenuate the vu
meter deflection by 6dB so that the readings of the
peak program meters and the vu meters are identical
even for sine wave signals.This facility is particularly
useful duringalignment.
A bank of monitor keys marked METERINGconnects
allthe instrumentsdescribedabovewith the vitalpoints
withinboth the controlconsoleand the SAL cutterdrrve
logic.The keys are mutuallyreleasingand safeguarded
againstdouble actuation.
Fortransfermonitoringthe signalselectedby meansof
the METERINGkey bank is fed to the SAL monitor
power amplifiers. The monitor path has optional
provisionsfor the insertionof a quadraphonicmatrix
decoder.Usingtwo additionalpower amplifiersallows
four-channelmonitoring.
The extreme operationalversatilityof the control con-
sole allows the masteringengineer to remain in one
place nearlyall the time. The whole transferoperatron
can be remotely controlledfrom the console.
All key-controlledfunctions of the VMS disk cutting
lathesystem are remote controllablefrom the console.
Remote control is also coupled with the automatic
banding unit which causes spiralsto be cut between
programbands as indicatedby leader tape.
Remote control is also a possibilityfor the cutter drive
logic whose controls have to be operated frequently
during transfer.The BSB acceleration limiters con-
tained in the SAL cutter drive logic are equippedwith
remote controlfor the BYPASS, OFF and ON operation
modes.
Another SAL component, the SAB signal processor
may be switched from RIAA-curverecording equali-
zationto a frequency responsesuitablefor alignment
and calibration.
ln addition, the SAL monitor selector MWS may be
switched remotely between cutter feedback (FB)and
pickup (PU).

Phase correlationof the two signal channels is indi-

cated by the U 479 correlationcoefficientmeter.With
in-phasesignalsa + 1 correlationis shown by ten green
LED's, whereas ten red LED's will light up for -1
correlation,or total phase opposition.With one signal
missingor with no channel correlationat all, only the
yello w"Me teron" LED in t he m iddlewillbe illum i n a t e d .
lntegration time can be decreased by pressing the
FASTbutton on the oanel.

An additionalmeansfor transfermonitoringis provided

by the NTP177-520c monitoringoscilloscope.lts verti-
cal deflection is controlled by the vertical recording
portion,whereas its lateraldeflection is controlledby
the lateralrecordingportionof the programsignal.Asa
consequence the motion of the cutting stylus tip is
made visible on the monitor.The oscilloscopegives
informationon whetherthe stereo sound imoressionis
balancedand properlyphased.
TechnicalSpecifications: o,77sv4odB
(Modulationand previewchannels)

Inp ut imp ed anc e > 4 kOhms balanced,floating Monitor:

Recommendedsource imoedance < 600Ohms lnputimpedance > B kOhms balanced,floating
Nominal input levelfor 0 vu reading +4 dB Nominal input levelfor 0 vu reading +4 d B
Maximuminputlev el +2.1dB adjustablein 1 dB steps through
Output impedance < 30Ohmsbalanced, floating RELATIVE DISKLEVELcontrol odB ... +12dB
Load impedance > 300Ohms (marked-4dB to +BdB)
Nomin alo utput lev el + 4 dB
Output level 0 d 8 ... + 12d8 Nominalinput levelfor 0 vu reading +4 dB
adjustablein 1 dB steps with TESTRECORDbutton
Maximumo ut put lev el +20 dB pressed -16d8... - BdB
>80dB (independentof RELATIVE DISK
Signalto noise ratio (unweighted)
in accordancewith DIN 45405 (weighted) >B OdB LEVELcontrol position),
potentiometeradjustable
Cross-talkattenuationat 1 kHz
(L/R and MOD/PREVIEW >90dB Nominaloutput level with VOLUMEcontrol
fullup +4 d B
Program Equalization: "Muting" control key (telephonekey) -20dB
Low-rangeequalization Load imoedance >2 kOh m s
selectableat 4 0 -6 0 -1 00H 2
in steps of + 2 -4 -6 -9 -1 5d8
Test Oscillator:
H igh-rangeequalization
Testfrequencies 4OHz,2OOHz, 1 kHz,5 kHz,10kHz,
selectableat 7 -1 0 - 14kqz
+ 2 -4 -6 -9 -1 5d8 16 kHz (VMS 70)
in steps of
20 Hz, 1OOHz, 1 kHz, 5 kHz,10 kHz,
Presence/absenceequalizalion 16 kHz (VMS80)
selectableat 175- 25O- 350 - 500 - 700H2 Maximum output level +22d8
-1 - 1 .4- 2 - 2 .8 - 4 - 5.6kH z Output impedance < 20Ohms balanced,floating
in steps of + 2 -4 -6 -8 -1 0d8 Load impedance > 200 Ohms
Bandwithof the oresence/absencefilter
switchablein three steps wide. medium. narrow ReverbFacilities:
Bandwithin positionwide
OutputREVERB SEND
switch position10dB approx. 1 octave
(REVERBPLATEIN) unbalanced,mono mix
Ratio of the bandwith
Nominaloutput levelfor 0 dB PPM reading +6 dB
switch positionwide, medium, narrow 1 :0.5 :0.25
R e q u i r e dr e v e r bu n i t i n p u t i m p e d a n c e > 4 kOh m s
Inout REVERBRETURN
Cut-off Filters:
(REVERBPLATEOUT) unbalanced,stereo
H igh cut-offfrequencies 6 .3 -9 -1 2 .5 - 16kqz Input impedance 2 kOhms (tandem controls)
Low cut-offfrequencies 40 - 63 - 80Hz
Filterattenuation 18dB/octave

Tape 2 Feed:
Power supply for the control
No mina lo utout lev el +4 d B
console 100...240V4C(strappable),
Ma ximu mou t put lev el +2 0 d B
50/60H2,approx.150VA
Output impedance < 30Ohms balanced,floating
L oa d imo ed anc e > 300 O h m s Dimensions 1 5 1 0 x 9 0 0 x 11 9 0 m m
Input impedance > 8 kOhms balanced,floating (width x depth x height) (approx. 6O"x36" x47')
Nominal input level for 0 vu reading +4 dB Weight approx.175kgs (385 lbs)

Errorsexcepted.Subjectto changes