Digital IEM System TECHNICAL FOCUS: AUDIO

Transcription

1 Copyright Lighting&Sound America June Lectrosonics Duet Digital IEM System By: Mark Johnson tem. It s your choice of acronyms. My initial guess was that it s called Duet because it is either an IFB system or an IEM system. On further review and consultation with Karl Winkler, vicepresident of sales at Lectrosonics, the moniker originally came about because you have two stereo channels in a half-ru unit, and because the performer might consider this system a partner on the stage, i.e., a duet. The Duet system comprises the M2R receiver and M2T two-channel transmitter. The M2T is a half-rackwidth device, so you can mount two of them in a standard-width rack to make a four-stereo channel IEM system. It s evident from the start that this gear is all business. Even the packing tape on The system is so straightforward and well laid out that it s a relatively simple matter to get it up and running. The design and engineering staff at Lectrosonics are experts at making a product that is technically complex but easy to operate. Product as tested. Imagine, if you will, a piece of audio equipment that is built like a heavily armed M1 Abrams tank. It s a greatsounding and -working piece of equipment that is tough enough to take into battle. That s what you get with Duet, which is in keeping with Lectrosonics reputation for building extremely durable equipment that performs at a very high level. It takes two to Duet Lectrosonics Duet system can be either an IFB system or an IEM sys- the shipping carton declares that the gear is not fragile. The M2T front panel features (from left to right) a recessed level control (you push it and it pops out) for the 1/8" headphone output connector; a series of membrane switches; and menu/sel, back, A1 and A2, and B1 and B2 for the A and B RF carrier. (You can get two channels of audio per RF carrier. That enables either two- stereo systems or four- mono systems). There are also up and down arrow membrane switches for menu navigation and a micro USB connector for firmware updates. (I can t think of a self-respecting piece of audio equipment that doesn t have the ability to do firmware updates anymore.) On the far right is a power switch and an IR port. A high-resolution LCD screen takes up most of the front panel. RF 94 June 2018 Lighting&Sound America

2 power output is adjustable on each of the two carriers to 10, 25, or 50mW. On the rear is the B channel antenna BNC connector, 9 18VDC power input, two Dante digital input connections, four Neutrik XLR/TRS combo analog inputs, A antenna connection and Ethernet port. (Of course, any selfrespecting piece of audio equipment these days has the ability to network). The M2R digital IEM receiver is a picture of toughness, as well. The small case consists of machined aluminum and the markings are laseretched, so they aren t rubbing off anytime soon. The front of the receiver features a 1 1/8" square high-resolution LCD screen with four membrane switches (menu/sel, back, navigation up, and navigation down) situated at the bottom of the display. At the upper left corner of the display bezel is a Batt indicator. At the top of the case is a largish (relative to the overall size of the receiver), blue anodized on/off gain adjust knob. There is an IR port, a 1/8" headphone jack, RF link LED indicator, and two flexible wire antennas (located on each side of the top panel). The receiver operates from to MHz (up to MHz for export markets), and utilizes digital modulation, which affords a higher quality signal than analog. Audio is 24- bit digital, which provides wide dynamic range (>95dB) and greater than 85dB of adjacent channel isolation. The frequency response is 20Hz to 15kHz, -3dB. Loaded with two lithium AA batteries, the M2R weighs in at a bit over 9oz (pretty light, considering it s almost entirely metal). You can expect to get about seven hours of run time from the M2R with lithium batteries installed. Including the off-on/volume knob, the receiver pack sits right at 3" tall. It s just 2.375" wide and.625" deep. M2R IEM receivers. bright light. Gone are the days when everything was preset and that s the way it was, whether you wanted it or not. The gear available today offers multiple ways to configure it for the most efficient operation in a variety of performance environments, or to tailor the system to individual taste. On some systems, it s easy to get lost trying to navigate the menu maze. The menu structure on Duet is straightforward and easy to navigate while also providing the right amount of configurability. The M2T menu items include RF enable/level, manual RF tuning, various IR sync functions, audio input type and level/trim adjustments, network settings, and several other utility pages. M2R menu items include scan, flexlist, frequency, vol/bal, mixer, limiter, HF boost, meter mode, clear scan data, backlight, battery type, compat mode, lock/unlock, locale, about M2R, and default, Navigating the menus The LCD screens on the transmitter and receiver are bright and sharp. It s easy to see the menu items, even in Duet M2T transmitter rear panel I/O with Dante and Ethernet ports. June

3 Wireless Designer screen shot showing M2T audio levels and RF. The M2R also has a smart tune menu selection, which will run a scan and automatically find a frequency for you. If you choose, you can sync the transmitter to the receiver via the IR port. Wireless Designer For Macs, the proprietary Wireless Designer software requires the use of Mozilla Firefox, along with the Silverlight plug-in. Since I normally use Safari, it took a few extra steps and a call with customer support to get it up and running, but, ultimately, everything loaded and opened as anticipated. After a brief delay, I was looking at the Wireless Designer main screen. Admittedly, it was a bit of a pain to get it running, but Lectrosonics is aware of the issue; a version to run natively in Mac OS is in development, which should ultimately make the process more streamlined for Mac users. The main navigation headings on the software start with file, connect (live) view, and help to get you set up and going with the program. There are three navigation tabs: channels (all frames), which allows for monitoring and some control; frequency coordination; and frequency scanning. The channels tab displays all the channels in your system. In my case, I had two stereo systems. The display shows frequency, RF transmission (with RF off button), audio levels (including a clip indicator), and a mute button. Frequency coordination indicates graphically what s going on, frequency-wise, in your local vicinity. And frequency scan does just that, scanning the airwaves to enable coordination. There are a couple of ways to interface the M2T with Wireless Designer, either via the mini USB connection on the front panel, or with an Ethernet connection on the rear. The USB route is more direct (one cable, which is supplied). The network route requires connection through a router, so a couple of Ethernet cables would be needed (one from the computer running Wireless Designer to the router, and another from the M2T to the router). Scanners Frequency scanning for Duet is facilitated through the M2R receiver. Just navigate to the scan menu selection and hit the menu/sel button. Once a complete scan cycle has run, the data is imported to Wireless Designer via the IR port. You can then perform frequency coordination to determine the frequencies where there is the least amount of activity. I m impressed by the attention to detail throughout the system from the push to use front panel volume control (which stays recessed unless you need it, so it reduces the chances of it getting sheared off), to the bright, easy-to-read displays on both the transmitter and the receiver, 96 June 2018 Lighting&Sound America

4 Frequency coordination screen. Frequency scan screen. June

5 to the basic simplicity of operation. And we haven t even discussed the audio quality. OK, let s talk about audio quality the two hallmarks of Lectrosonics products are durability in the field and exceptional audio quality. Duet upholds these tenets admirably. I started listening critically with my custom IEMs to my regular test selection of music, and soon found that I was listening just for the enjoyment of the music. I can t think of a greater compliment than to say I soon stopped listening to the system and started listening to the music. Stable transmission Another hallmark of Lectrosonics products is solid wireless transmission and reception, and Duet carries on this tradition. I did notice that the transmitter and receiver both got a bit warm during use. I guess they re working pretty hard. The printed instruction manuals that came with Duet was just like the products: basic and to the point. They included descriptions of the M2R and M2T and features, menu maps, and clear, concise instructions with illustrations. Information is also available from instructional videos on the company s website. However, the system is so straightforward and well laid out that it s a relatively simple matter to get up and running. The design and engineering staff at Lectrosonics are experts at making a product that is technically complex but easy to operate. A product is only as good as the customer support you receive from the factory. When I initially ran into difficulties trying to get Wireless Designer up and running, Lectrosonics responded quickly to my , and I soon received a call from a factory technical representative. You might say that since the product was being reviewed, of course they would respond quickly, however, I know that with Lectrosonics it really doesn t matter who it is. The company will always endeavor to quickly resolve any issues that may arise. List pricing for the M2T transmitter is $2,335. The M2R receiver lists for $1,080 (times two for a dual stereo IEM system). These are systems built to withstand the rigors of the road, and to simply work, day in and day out, which is exactly what they are supposed to do. Color me impressed. FREE SUBSCRIPTION OFFER! USE THIS FORM to confirm your free subscription FAX US LSA@plasa.org Or subscribe: ONLINE FOR MORE INFO MAIL LIGHTING&SOUND AMERICA, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ USA. Please note there is a USD $25 shipping charge outside of the U.S. Payable to Lighting&Sound America (credit cards accepted), thank you! Now read the latest digital edition online as well! lightingandsoundamerica.com m Yes! I want to receive/continue to receive LIGHTING&SOUND AMERICA FREE! m No I don t want a free subscription at this time. Signature (Required) Date Telephone Fax address Name Company Title Address City State Zip m I would prefer not to receive information or advertising from other companies not affiliated with L&SA. 1. PLEASE CHECK ONE CATEGORY THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PRIMARY BUSINESS FUNCTION: n A. Lighting Designer n B. Sound Designer n C. Programmer n D. Technician n E. Production Manager/Technical Director n F. Rental & Staging Professional n G. Manufacturer n H. Distributor n I. Consultant 2. IN ADDITION, PLEASE CHECK ALL THE BUSINESS FUNCTIONS IN WHICH YOU ARE INVOLVED: n A. Lighting Designer n B. Sound Designer n C. Programmer n D. Technician n E. Production Manager/Technical Director n F. Rental & Staging Professional n G. Manufacturer n H. Distributor n I. Consultant 3. PLEASE INDICATE WHICH OF THESE VENUES BEST APPLIES FOR YOUR BUSINESS: n A. Concerts & Touring n B. Clubs n C. Theatre n D. Houses of Worship n E. Presentation/Events n F. Themed Entertainment n G. TV/Film n H. Other (please specify) 4. PLEASE CHECK ALL VENUES THAT APPLY FOR YOUR BUSINESS: n A. Concerts & Touring n B. Clubs n C. Theatre n D. Houses of Worship n E. Presentation/Events n F. Themed Entertainment n G. TV/Film n H. Other (please specify) CODE: PLASA PLEASE INDICATE WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES YOUR TITLE: n A. Designer n B. Engineer/Technician n C. Educator n D. Chairman, Owner, Partner, President, CEO n E. VP, CFO, COO, CIO, MD n F. Director, Manager, Supervisor n G. Sales &/or Marketing Manager n H. Producer or Director n I. Student 98 June 2018 Lighting&Sound America