Recording - September 2013 - 47
To the right of the headphones section are two rows of
three green-LED-lit latching selector buttons. The top row
is for the three sets of speaker outs—any or all of them
can be active at the same time. The bottom row lets you
select your chosen source or sources—all connected
inputs can be active at the same time, and they will be
summed into the stereo signal. No individual trims are
available when used this way, so level adjustments need
to happen before arrival at the MC2.1.
Towards the right are another two rows of three buttons
each, with red LED indicators. The top row is the Cut section with buttons labeled Left, Mute, and Right.
Mute kills the output signal of the whole unit; the Left and
Right buttons are also mutes, but for each channel independently. This allows you to focus on what it happening
in a particular channel. Interestingly, the muting of just the
left or right side is designed to sound different in the headphones, not cutting out the muted side entirely, to simulate
the shifting of the stereo field in the room where one speaker or the other still manages to fill the room with audio, just
not in the fully L/R balanced and centered manner.
The bottom row buttons are labeled Phase Reverse,
Mono and Dim. Phase Reverse flips the polarity of the output signals, Left vs. Right, and lets you listen for phase
issues. The manual points out that the sound from the
speakers should become less focused when this button is
pressed; if no change occurs, “there is something wrong
somewhere”. The Mono button folds your mix into mono
which is handy for checking mono compatibility of the
music as well as for finding phase issues.
The Mono button works well in conjunction with the Phase
Reverse button and will highlight components of your mix that
are out of phase, most likely center channel information that
may disappear due to phase cancellation, allowing you to
check what is on the extreme outer edges of the stereo field.
The Mono button also pairs nicely with the Left and Right cuts,
as it allows you to listen to your mono signal in a single
speaker—which is how mono should be heard, since listening to a mono signal summed to both of your monitors simultaneously (in “dual mono”) can induce phase and comb filtering problems if your speakers are not properly placed.
The last control in this section is the Dim switch which
attenuates the output level down 20 dB.
The next section is the Talkback section, with a latching
Talkback button on the bottom with a yellow LED and a small
post-style Talkback Level control above it. The mic itself, a
simple, small electret condenser, lives above that. When the
Talkback button is engaged, the music in the headphones is
attenuated so the talent can hear the control room.
As mentioned above, on the rear of the unit is a single
mono 1/4" output that can be used to send the signal to a set
of speakers in the tracking room for those not in headphones,
or it can be patched into your DAW for slating tracks, etc.
On the bottom
One last area to look on the MC2.1 is on its undercarriage, where you will find a collection of recessed Phillipshead screw pots that are used to attenuate each one of the
7 speaker outputs.
I found it very handy to attenuate the monitor outs on the
unit itself rather than jumping back and forth attenuating
levels on the speakers; besides, many speakers don’t offer
volume control, so this is a very important capability.
The MC2.1 in the studio
In daily use I adapted to the MC2.1’s feature set quickly. Some monitor controllers have too many features and
choices, some have too few, and, like Goldilocks, I found
the MC2.1 to be just right. I love the phase, cut and mono
options for checking my mixes, and being able to wire in a mono speaker or send a mono signal to one of my monitors alone is worth the price
of admission for me.
When it comes to the mini jack MP3 player input, all I can say is, “It’s
about time!” Unfortunately many speaker controllers came out just before
the iPod revolution and don’t offer a convenient way to interface with them;
most bands I know always want to play you something on their phone.
On the flip side, I wish the MC2.1 had an optional mini output to match.
Many of us now audition our music on cheap computer speakers or speaker-equipped iPod docks, similar to how studios used Auratones to simulate
radios. Most of those cheapo speakers only have mini inputs, often on an
attached cable; a “crappy speaker output” would have been great.
The only feature on the MC2.1 that slightly disappointed me was the
Talkback mic; it doesn’t sound bad for what it is, but its volume, even
at full, was a bit quiet for my tastes and (from where it sits on my desk)
kind of distant. It would also have been nice to offer a simple external
talkback mic input jack.
Sonics
Sonically the MC2.1 is loud, clean, and solid. I have been using a
high-end passive unit for years, and the two do sound slightly different,
with the passive unit being wider and softer, and the MC2.1 sounding
louder, tighter and more focused.
At first I was slightly distressed by this difference between the two, and my
anal-retentive side needed to know which one was more “real”. Then it
dawned on me that this need for precision is a modern myth/crutch. Most
classic records were mixed through big famous desks... can you tell me which
was more “real”, a Neve, an SSL, or a Trident? So I moved on, accepting
that monitor controllers, like monitor speakers, come down to personal preference and learning how they sound in your room. Bottom line—never once
did I feel like the MC2.1 was adding to the sound or lying to me.
Loud and proud
As an active unit, the MC2.1 is capable of extreme levels. Out of the
box with the underside speaker attenuators at full, 9 o’clock on the
MC2.1 equalled 2 o’clock on my passive unit and I could really drive
my speakers nicely.
The MC2.1‘s volume knob had no “dead” spots, and its left and
right channels were equally reactive, meaning that one channel does
not jump out before the other at ultra-low volume settings.
I used the MC2.1 with four different sets of speakers, costing from
$5000 per pair down to $1700, $200, and $45, plus two different
subwoofers, and it sounded great with them all.
Conclusions
The MC2.1 has a complete feature set that offers everything I look for
in a monitor controller, except a separate mini jack output for cheap
speakers. It also has a few features I didn’t know I needed but now can’t
live without, like phase control and single-speaker selection that saves me
having to get up and turn off a speaker when I want true mono.
One more thing: its low price makes it one of the top contenders in
its price class, and one that holds its own with units like mine that are
almost twice the cost. Check out what it can do for your studio.
Price: $650 ($599 street)
More from: Drawmer Electronics Ltd., www.drawmer.com; dist. in
USA by TransAudio Group, www.transaudiogroup.com.
RECORDING September 2013
47
http://www.drawmer.com
http://www.transaudiogroup.com
Recording - September 2013
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - September 2013
Recording - September 2013
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
The History And Mystery Of Monitoring: A Chat With JBL’s Peter Chaikin
Better Sounds From Tight Spots
Do It Yourself: Fix Your Cables—Save Your Money!
Emotiva Pro Stealth 8 Monitors
MOTU Track16
Ashman Acoustics SOM50 Microphone
Sontronics Sonora 2
Stop Sound Leakage!
Drawmer MC2.1 Monitor Controller
Do It Yourself: Build Acoustic Treatment Right Into Your Walls!
From Shed To Studio
Sneak Previews: Apple Logic Pro X and Avid Pro Tools 11
Readers’ Tapes
Plug-In Outlet: FXpansion Bloom
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 21: Equalization—Part 2
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - September 2013 - Intro
Recording - September 2013 - Recording - September 2013
Recording - September 2013 - Cover2
Recording - September 2013 - 1
Recording - September 2013 - 2
Recording - September 2013 - 3
Recording - September 2013 - Fade In
Recording - September 2013 - 5
Recording - September 2013 - Contents
Recording - September 2013 - 7
Recording - September 2013 - Talkback
Recording - September 2013 - 9
Recording - September 2013 - Fast Forward
Recording - September 2013 - 11
Recording - September 2013 - 12
Recording - September 2013 - 13
Recording - September 2013 - The History And Mystery Of Monitoring: A Chat With JBL’s Peter Chaikin
Recording - September 2013 - 15
Recording - September 2013 - 16
Recording - September 2013 - 17
Recording - September 2013 - 18
Recording - September 2013 - 19
Recording - September 2013 - 20
Recording - September 2013 - 21
Recording - September 2013 - Better Sounds From Tight Spots
Recording - September 2013 - 23
Recording - September 2013 - 24
Recording - September 2013 - 25
Recording - September 2013 - Do It Yourself: Fix Your Cables—Save Your Money!
Recording - September 2013 - 27
Recording - September 2013 - 28
Recording - September 2013 - 29
Recording - September 2013 - Emotiva Pro Stealth 8 Monitors
Recording - September 2013 - 31
Recording - September 2013 - 32
Recording - September 2013 - 33
Recording - September 2013 - MOTU Track16
Recording - September 2013 - 35
Recording - September 2013 - Ashman Acoustics SOM50 Microphone
Recording - September 2013 - 37
Recording - September 2013 - Sontronics Sonora 2
Recording - September 2013 - 39
Recording - September 2013 - Stop Sound Leakage!
Recording - September 2013 - 41
Recording - September 2013 - 42
Recording - September 2013 - 43
Recording - September 2013 - 44
Recording - September 2013 - 45
Recording - September 2013 - Drawmer MC2.1 Monitor Controller
Recording - September 2013 - 47
Recording - September 2013 - Do It Yourself: Build Acoustic Treatment Right Into Your Walls!
Recording - September 2013 - 49
Recording - September 2013 - From Shed To Studio
Recording - September 2013 - 51
Recording - September 2013 - Sneak Previews: Apple Logic Pro X and Avid Pro Tools 11
Recording - September 2013 - 53
Recording - September 2013 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - September 2013 - 55
Recording - September 2013 - 56
Recording - September 2013 - 57
Recording - September 2013 - 58
Recording - September 2013 - 59
Recording - September 2013 - Plug-In Outlet: FXpansion Bloom
Recording - September 2013 - 61
Recording - September 2013 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 21: Equalization—Part 2
Recording - September 2013 - 63
Recording - September 2013 - 64
Recording - September 2013 - Advertiser Index
Recording - September 2013 - 66
Recording - September 2013 - 67
Recording - September 2013 - 68
Recording - September 2013 - 69
Recording - September 2013 - 70
Recording - September 2013 - 71
Recording - September 2013 - Cover3
Recording - September 2013 - Cover4
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