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AER pocket tools dual mix User Manual

Made by: AER
Type: User Manual
Category: Amplifier
Pages: 12
Size: 1.41 MB

 

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pocket tools

dual mix

user manual

 


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2

pocket tools

dual mix

user manual

Contents Page

1. Introduction 

3

2. Safety Instructions 

4

3. Controls and Connections 

4

4. Operation Summary 

 

4.1 Cabling and Starting-up 

 

4.2 Level Adjustment 

5

5. Functional Characteristics  

 

5.1 Inputs Channel 1 and Channel 2 

 

 

5.1.1 Signal sources and preamp selection 

 

 

5.1.2 Dual-band Equalization 

 

5.2 efx – Effects Section Muliteffect 

 

5.3 aux in 

 

5.4 master 

 

5.5 DI-out 

 

5.6 24V-Phantom-Power 

6

6. Technical Specifications: pocket tools dual mix 

7

7. Circuit Diagram: pocket tools dual mix 

8

 


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3

1. Introduction

Welcome to AER!

Thank you for purchasing an AER 

Pocket Tool

. You are now the owner of a professional audio preamp, 

designed and manufactured to the highest pro audio technical specifications; capable of shaping, ma

-

ximizing and delivering the tonal character of your instrument. At AER our complete focus, some say 

obsession, is on the ‘true’ reproduction of natural acoustic sound. A lifetime spent listening to and wor-

king with acoustic instruments helps us to create and refine the very best devices available; to enable 
you to craft your own unique acoustic identity. Make your instrument the very best it can be ...

Please take a moment to read this brief manual. We want you to understand how our product works 
and  what  it  can  do  for  you.  We  want  you  to  gain  benefit  from  its  many  features  but  most  of  all  we 

want you to ENJOY it!

The 

dual mix

  is  a  high-quality  „two-channel“  preamplifier  for  instrument/line  or  microphone  signals. 

The unit offers simple, efficient features just like a small mixong console:

– 

two inputs

, each for one microphone or instrument and line-level signal with 

switchable 

 24V-phantom-power

 

– separate active 

two-band EQ networks

 for each input 

– a 

4-preset multi-effects-unit

 with two reverbs, one echo and one chorus 

– a 

stereo aux-in

 

– 

line-out 

and 

DI-out

 

– plus a 

stereo-headphone-preamplifier

This makes the 

dual mix

 especially suited for the following applications:

- as 

channel extension

 in connection with AER-amplifiers (the line output of the dual mix is connected 

e.g. with an amp‘s effects return)
- as 

instrument/microphone stage preamp

 (the line out or DI-out of the dual mix is connected directly 

to the mixing-desk/stagebox)

- as 

headphone rehearsal amplifier

 in connection with a stereo headphone set

All 

pocket tools

 need energy for their high-grade circuits and are powered by 

24V-power-supplies

. An 

appropriate supply is included in delivery.

Read on and have fun using your

 dual mix

!

 


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4

3. Controls and 

Connections

2. Safety Instructions

The following guidelines shall help minimize the risk of 
injury through fire or electric shock.

1. Carefully read these safety notes before you use the 
device!
2. Keep these safety notes in a safe place.
3. Pay attention to all warnings, instructions and addi-
tional texts on the unit.
4. Do not install or use your device in close proximity to 
water or if you are wet yourself.
5. Use your device in a safe place where nobody can 
step on cables or trip over and damage them.
6. Always pull the mains plug before cleaning your de-
vice. Use only a dry cloth for cleaning. Avoid the use 
of detergents and do not let any liquids seep into the 
unit.

7. Never install your device close to units with strong 
electromagnetic  fields  such  as  large  mains  transfor

-

mers, revolving machines, neon illumination etc. Do 
not lay signal cables parallel to power current cables.

8.  There  are  no  user-serviceable  components  inside 
the unit. To avoid the risk of an electric shock, the unit 

must not be opened. All maintenance, adjustment and 

repair  works  should  be  carried  out  by  qualified  staff 

only. Any unauthorized tampering will void the 2-year 
warranty.

9. In keeping with the EMV regulations screened cables 
with correctly fitted connectors must be used for all si

-

gnal connections.
10. Always use an earthed power supply with the cor-
rect mains voltage. If you are in doubt about the power 

outlets ground, have it checked by a qualified techni

-

cian.
11. Cable up your device only when it is powered off.

Top side

gain 

 

input level control

 clip

  

overload  indicator

line/mic

 

signal source selector switch (combo socket):

 line 

(only via 6.3 mm jackplug) for instruments

   

 

(pickup) and other line level sources

 mic

  

(only via XLR-connector) for microphones

high 

   

treble control

low

    

bass control

efx 

 

4-preset multi-effects unit

 level 

level control internal effect

 pan 

effect signal distribution control

 select

 

effect select button with led-indicators

aux in  

stereo-input for additional signal sources

 level 

stereo input level control

master

 

master level control

Rear side

dc 24 V  

power supply connector socket (24 Volt DC)

24V phantom power 
  ch. 1 

24V phantom power switch channel 1 

  ch. 2

 

24V phantom power switch channel 2

line out

 

signal output, 6.3 mm mono jack socket

headphones

  

stereo-headphones socket

DI out

  

signal output, symmetrical, XLR-socket

DI level 

DI out signal level control

Front side

channel 1

  

signal input – combo socket for 6.3 mm mono

 

   

 

jackplug and XLR connector

channel 2

 

signal input – combo socket for 6.3 mm mono

 

   

 

jackplug and XLR connector

aux-in

  

stereo input for additional signal sources 

   

 

(e.g. CD-player), RCA-sockets

 

   

 

(white = left channel, red = right channel),

 

   

 

parallel: 3.5 mm stereo jack socket

power 

 

on/off-status indicator

channel

 1

clip

clip

line/mic

channel

 2

channel 1

channel 2

efx

aux

 in

aux in

gain

gain

high

high

pan

select

power

24V phantom power 

line out

out

level

head

phones

foot

switch

DI

ch.2

dc 24 V

1 = gnd
2 = pos
3 = neg

ch.1

master

low

low

level

level

line/mic

pocket

 

tools

dual 

mix

 


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5

4.2 Level adjustment

The 

dual mix

 is equipped with two high-quality pre-

amps which can handle line and microphone signals 
and have therefore a wide input sensitivity range.

Having selected the appropriate preamp function (

mic

 

or 

line

) and with the 

gain

 controls set fully counter 

clockwise  (minimum  gain),  turn  up  the 

gain

 whilst 

playing your instrument until the red 

clip

 indicator 

LED lights up occasionally with heavy strumming. Now 
turn down the 

gain

 control (or the volume control on 

the source) by a tiny amount to allow additional head-
room for undistorted reproduction.
During play, the 

clip

 control LED should only flicker in

-

termittently  at  most.  With 

line

  (signal  sources  with  a 

sufficient input signal level) the 

gain

 controls will pro-

bably  sit  between  minimum  gain  and  the  10  o’clock 
position. It’s likely that in the 

mic

 position the setting 

will  be  significantly  higher.  Please  keep  in  mind  that 
the filter stages are partly active and thus have an in

-

fluence on the ove

rall adjustment of the dual mix.

5. Functional Characteristics

5.1 Inputs Channel 1 and Channel 2

5.1.1 Signal Sources and Preamp Selection

Various  signal  sources  may  be  connected  to  the  XLR/
line combo sockets (

channel 1 und 2

). To 

Line

 (6.3 mm 

jack socket): all types of active and passive pickups for 
acoustic  instruments,  electromagnetic  pickups,  key

-

boards, samplers. To 

XLR

 socket: all dynamic and con

-

denser (vocal or instrument) microphones. The corres

-

ponding preamp is selected by the 

line/mic

-switch.

4. Operation Summary

4.1 Cabling and Starting-up

Before connecting to the mains, please ensure that 

your  local  mains  voltage  (e.g.  230V  in  mainland  Eu

-

rope, 120V in the USA) is suitable for the voltage in-
put range of the included power supply. The relevant 
specs and safety symbols are printed on the rear side 
of the unit.

Note: 24V power supply

The included 24VDC power supply is a certified wide-

range model, capable of handling input voltages 
between 100V and 240V. A substantial amount of re-
search, effort and testing went into the selection of 
this power supply. It is critical to the function of the 
preamp – please use no other power supply!
Also please bear in mind that any device powered 

from  a  power  supply  (as  opposed  to  battery  operati

-

on), may suffer interference carried by the electricity 

supply itself. To avoid this, always try and keep signal 

cables as short as possible.

We have opted for a “non-earthed power supply“ (class 

2 with protective insulation) in order to avoid unwan-
ted earth or ground loops that occur when using sever-
al earthed mains powered devices in a signal chain.

Please ensure that 

gain

-, 

level

- and 

volume

-controls 

are turned all the way to the left

 

and all other cont-

rols  are  in  their  middle  position  (centre  detent).  The 

pushbuttons should be off, i.e. not pushed.

Now select the appropriate preamp function (

line/mic

and make all required cable connections:
1)  Instruments  (1/4“  jack  or  XLR)  or  Microphones  (only 
XLR) to 

input channel 1

 and/or 

channel 2

 of the 

dual mix

2) 

line-out

 of the 

dual mix

 e.g. to effects 

return

 of the 

effect  loop  of  an  AER  amplifier  or  to  the  input  of  a 

downstream device

You may also want to connect:

1) the 

DI-out

 of the 

dual mix

 to a mixing-desk input or 

a stagebox (use balanced cables for this)
2) a CD/MP3 player to 

aux-in

 or

3) a stereo headphone set to the 

headphones

 output

Note: Level adjustment

By setting the level correctly we mean that the signal le-
vel in one or several devices in a signal chain is neither 
too high nor too low. This applies equally to all compo-

nents of a unit (here

 e.g. high 

and 

low

).

Consequently, care must be taken that no part of the 

circuit is overloaded, or that distortion is unintentio-

nally added to the signal. We have carefully designed 

the circuit to achieve this objective whilst also provi-

ding potentiometers (

gain

level

volume

) for „manu-

al” intervention.

 


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6

5.1.2 Dual-band Equalization

The dual-band equalizer of your 

dual mix

 provides 

you with an active and high quality sound interaction 
tool that supports the natural tone of instruments and 
voice whilst simultaneously offering you the possibili-
ty of a controlled interaction.

With all controls in mid position the filters are set to 

produce a very pleasing and natural sound impression. 
The 

high-

(treble) and 

low-

(bass)controls allow you to 

modulate the sound as desired.

5.2 efx – Effects Section Multieffect

The 

dual mix

 has an onboard digital effects unit with 

four presets

1 = short reverb

2 = long reverb

3 = 

delay 320 ms

 and 

4 = deep chorus

, which are called 

up with the 

select

 effects selector switch. Each pres-

sing of this switch will shift the preset selection by 
one setting.

With  the 

pan

 control

 

the effect is assigned to the 

channels. In its centre position both channels will 
receive the same amount of wet signal, turned 

fully 

counterclockwise only channel 1

, turned 

fully clock-

wise only channel 2

 will get a wet signal. The 

level 

control adjusts the effects loudness in the master si-
gnal.

5.3 aux-in

The 

aux-in

  is  a  stereo  signal  input  (RCA/3.5  mm  ste

-

reo jack, frontside) e.g. for a CD- oder MP3-player or 

a drum computer. Using the 

level

 control, the signal 

which is present here is blended with the master si-
gnal.

5.4 master

The 

volume

 control adjusts the loudness of 

line-out 

and 

headphones

 together.

5.5 DI-out

The 

DI-out

 yields a balanced output signal whose le-

vel can be adjusted by the 

level

-control.

5.6 24V Phantom power

The 

24V phantom power

 switches are located on the 

rear side of the housing. These provide phantom po-

wer to the XLR inputs for devices that require it, e.g. 

condenser mics.

The  24V  phantom  power  supply  of  your  AER  device 
complies  with  the  DIN  EN  61398  regulations  in  view 

of a 24V phantom power supply.
Please note the adjacent text.

Supplement to article 5.6

Information about the use of 48V or 24V phantom 
power (phantom power = remote supply, here: po-
wering an audio device via the connected audio line)

Turn on the 

phantom power

 only if the unit con-

nected  to  the  XLR  socket  is  designed  to  handle  it! 

In general, suitable units are e.g. condenser mi-
crophones, active DI boxes and other special au-
dio devices, whose power supply is drawn from the 
phantom power. Such devices are also labelled accor-

dingly;  please  heed  the  permissible  power  consump

-

tion  (max.10mA).  High-quality  dynamic  microphones 

with a balanced signal need no phantom power, but 
can handle it anyway. Other devices which have not 
been designed explicitly for phantom power opera-
tion can suffer from considerable malfunctions, and 
damage may result as well.

Examples of devices that may be damaged by incor-
rect application of phantom power include:

Low-cost  dynamic  microphones  with  a  mono  jack 
plug (unbalanced signal) that were fitted afterwards 
with  an  XLR  connector.  Audio  devices  with  a  balan

-

ced XLR output (e.g. DI boxes, effects devices, instru

-

ment preamps with a DI output etc.) which are not 
protected against phantom power applied to their 

XLR output. (The DI connectors on AER products are 

protected against applied phantom power.)

Other audio devices (such as preamps, effects pedals 

etc.) whose unbalanced line output was replaced by 

an XLR socket.

If in doubt please consult the manufacturer of the 
device you are using.

Experiment and enjoy your new route to alternate 
soundscapes!

Any questions or suggestions? Please do contact us 

at: tachauch@aer-amps.com

Thanks for reading!

 


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7

6. Technical Data: pocket tools 

dual mix

  

 

 

Technical data

Inputs 

Switchable microphone or line input 
Combo socket, XLR and  ¼“ jack (6.35 mm) 
line mode (jack input) 
Unbalanced high impedance input for 

instrument pick-ups and line-level sources 

Gain adjustment range: +3…+20 dB 
Min. input voltage: 100 mV (–20 dBV) 
Max. input voltage: 3 V (+10 dBV) 
Input impedance: 2.2 M

 || 60 pF 

Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted 

Min. gain: 108 dB 
Max. gain: 98 dB 

Frequency response: 20 Hz…20 kHz / 

1 dB 

THD + N (1 kHz): < 0.3% 
mic mode (XLR input) 
Balanced microphone input 
1 = ground, 2 = positive (+), 3 = negative (–) 
Gain adjustment range: +4…+40 dB 
Min. input voltage: 10 mV (–40 dBV) 
Max. input voltage: 3 V (+10 dBV) 
Input impedance: 2.1 k

 

Unbalanced:1.1 k

 

Signal-to-noise ratio, A-weighted 

Min. gain: 108 dB 
Max. gain: 93 dB 

Frequency response: 20 Hz…20 kHz / 

1 dB 

THD + N (1 kHz): < 0.1% 
Phantom power: 24 V, R = 1.2 k

 per 

terminal, switchable for each channel, 
total current max. 10 mA per channel, 
short circuit protected 

Warning: External equipment may be 

damaged by inappropriate use of 
phantom power. In case of doubt keep the 
24 V phantom power switch off (not 
pushed). 

channels 1 
and 2 

Clip indicator 
Red LED 
Headroom: 8 dB 

aux in  

Auxiliary stereo input (mono-mixed), e.g. for 

CD player 

Cinch (RCA) sockets (left / right) and 3.5 mm 

stereo jack socket. 

Level control 
Min. input voltage: 2 x 250 mV (–14 dBV) 
Max. input voltage: 2 x 10 V (+20 dBV) 
Input impedance: 10 k

 

Outputs 

line out 

Unbalanced line output after master 
Mono jack, ¼” (6.35 mm) 
Nominal output voltage: 1 V (0 dBV) 
Max. output voltage: 9 V (+19 dBV) 
Output impedance: 47 

 

Min. load impedance: 2 k

 

Residual noise (master fully anticlockwise): 

A-weighted: 1 

μ

V (–120 dBV) 

headphones  Headphones output  

Stereo jack, ¼” (6.35 mm) 
Output power, 1 kHz, THD = 1%: 

Typ. 2 x 40 mW / 32 

 

Residual noise (master fully anticlockwise): 

A-weighted: 3.3 

μ

V (–110 dBV) 

Warning: Suitable for headphones with 

stereo jack only. Do not connect any mono 
jacks. 

 
DI-out 

Balanced XLR output 
1 = ground, 2 = positive (+), 3 = negative (–) 
Level control 
Nominal output voltage (differential), 

adjustment range: 
41…410 mV (–28…–8 dBV) 

Output impedance: 

47 

 each terminal to ground 

Min. load impedance (differential): 1 k

 

Residual noise (both channels in line mode), 

A-weighted: 3.3 

μ

V (–110 dBV) 

Tone controls 

low 

12 dB at 100 Hz (shelf type) 

channels 1 
and 2 

high 

13 dB at 10 kHz (shelf type) 

Effects 

Built-in 
effect 

Digital effect processor with 4 presets 
1 = Reverb with short predelay 
2 = Reverb with long predelay 
3 = Repeating delay 
4 = Chorus 

Footswitch connector 

footswitch 

Connector for a dual footswitch 
Stereo jack, ¼” (6.35 mm) 
Tip = footswitch for muting channel 1 
Ring = footswitch for muting channel 2 
Sleeve = ground (common) 
Function: Switch ON = channel muted 

Power 

 

Supply 
voltage 

24 V=, 0.5 A 
Use only supplied mains adapter. 

Mains 
adapter 

Mains voltage: 100-240 V~ 
Power consumption when used with Dual 

Mix: max. 10 W 

General 

Metal 
housing 

Aluminium 

Finish 

Anodized black 

Dimensions 

65 mm (2.56“) high 
105 mm (4.13“) wide 
135 mm (5.31“) deep 

Weight 

480 g (1.06 lbs) 

Definitions and conditions 

 
Input and  output voltages are RMS values for a sine signal 

and 1 kHz unless stated otherwise. 

Tone controls in neutral position unless stated otherwise. 
Min. input voltage: Input voltage for nominal output 

voltage at line out with gain and master fully clockwise. 

Max. input voltage: Permissible input voltage that does not 

cause distortion more than the rated THD + N (assuming 
suitable control settings). 

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): Ratio of nominal output voltage 

to noise voltage at line out, at specified gain setting, 
master fully clockwise, input shorted, 20 Hz…20 kHz. 

Note: The SNR found at line out may be less than the SNRs 

specified for the channels because both channels 
contribute to the output noise. 

Residual noise: Noise voltage at an output when all gain 

and level settings are minimal. 

THD + N: Total harmonic distortion + noise for nominal 

output voltage at line out 

 
Specifications and appearance subject to change without 

notice.

 

 

TD20111123 

 


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8

7. Circuit Diagram: pocket tools 

dual mix

B

0

9

0

5

2

9

B

_

2

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1

1

1

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2

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2

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3

T

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notes

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notes

 


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