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PA Series
Unpowered Version
USER GUIDE
Publication AP5195
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Limited One Year Warranty This product is warranted to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for period of one year from the date of purchase by the original owner. To ensure a high level of performance and reliability for which this equipment has been designed and manufactured, read this User Guide before operating. In the event of a failure, notify and return the defective unit to ALLEN & HEATH Limited or its authorised agent as soon as possible for repair under warranty subj
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Important Safety Instructions – Read First Read instructions: Retain these safety and operating instructions for future reference. Heed all warnings printed here and on the console. Follow the operating instructions printed in this User Guide. Do not open: There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer any service work to competent technical personnel only. Power sources: Connect the console to mains power only of the type described in this User Guide and marked on the rear pane
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Introduction Welcome to the Allen & Heath PA Series professional audio mixing system. This user guide describes the functions of the unpowered models and also provides tips and reference information to help you get the best from your system. For information on the powered PA-CP models with built-in amplifiers refer to user guide AP4956. We know you want to get started right away. For this reason we have kept the guide concise and to the point. We recommend you rea
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Contents Main Topics Information Phantom power................................................13 Important Safety Instructions ............3 Balanced and unbalanced connections .........13 The mic preamp...............................................14 Overview............................................6 The HPF (high pass filter)................................14 The mono channel equaliser...........................15 The PA Range....................................7 Pre and post-
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Overview PA Series consoles provide the tools you need to run a small PA system in an easy ‘walk up and go’ format. You simply plug in your microphone and line sources and connect to your amplifiers or powered speakers. All the control and processing you need is built into the console. This guide describes the ‘unpowered’ PA models available in three frame sizes PA-12, PA-20, and PA-28. These have 8, 16 and 24 mono mic/line plus 2 dual stereo channels respectively. ‘Powered’ PA12-CP a
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The Range PA20 16 mono MIC/LINE channels PA12 2 dual stereo LINE channels 8 mono MIC/LINE channels 2 dual stereo LINE channels PA28 24 mono MIC/LINE channels 2 dual stereo LINE channels Accessories All Models Balanced XLR AB outputs LR main TRS outputs Rack Ears Mono output summed from LR A pair of metal ears to replace the 4 Auxes – 2 pre-fade foldback, 1 post-fade aux, 1 post-fade effects trims and fix the console into a 19” rack or custom furniture. Exter
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5 0 0 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 20 -5 20 -5 20 70 500 2k5 7k 10 10 10 -10 -10 30 30 30 0 0 10 10 10 0 0 0 -20 -20 40 40 40 30 100 200 1k 1k 5k 2k5 10k MIC MIC MIC 5 5 50 50 50 -30 -30 LINE LINE LINE -10 -5 63 25 -10 -5 63 25 -10 -5 63 25 OO 10 OO 10 20Hz 200 120Hz 2k 500Hz 10k 1k5 20k MIN MAX PK 9-10 11-12 100Hz 100Hz 100Hz LR LR SIG -10 +10 -10 +10 -10 +10 -10 +10 L FB1 FB1 12kHz 12kHz 12kHz 3 parametric output equaliser 70 500 2k5 7k R L R + FB2 -15 +15 -15 +15 -15 +15 1k5 1k5 1k5 -10 -10 30
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Quick Start 1 Ensure your safety First read and understand the Important Safety Instructions printed earlier. Make sure that all your equipment is set for your local mains supply voltage and correctly grounded to ensure your safety. Check that the console rear panel ON/OFF switch is in its out position (off). Plug in the mains power using the power cord supplied with the console. Do not turn anything on until you have checked your wiring and control settings. Also make sure the
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Installing the Console The PA Series is portable and designed for stand alone operation. The smaller PA12 model can also be 19” rack mounted by replacing the trims with the rack ears provided. Either way, ensure adequate ventilation around the unit and heed all warnings regarding mains power safety and earthing. 1 Carry Handle Metal handle for lifting and carrying the console. The weight is centrally distributed. Lift the console by holding the handle securely in the middle.
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Mains Power and Earthing Connecting Mains Power Read the SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS printed at the front of this user guide and on the rear panel. The power supply is a high performance switched mode type with universal mains input to accept voltages from 100 to 240 V.AC. Check that the correct mains lead with moulded plug has been supplied with your console. Ensure that the IEC mains plug is pressed fully into the rear panel socket before switching on. MAINS INPUT 100 - 240 V AC ~ 47- 63
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Cable and Connector Information You are likely to encounter the following audio connector types: The XLR connector is 3 wire balanced. This has 3 connector pins: Pin 1 = ground (screen), Pin 2 = signal hot (+), Pin 3 = signal cold (-). The jack sockets are the 3 pole TRS type. These are wired to work with either the balanced TRS or the unbalanced 2 pole TS type plugs without cable modification. The sockets have 3 connector pins: Inputs and outputs are Tip = signal hot (+), Ring = sign
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The MONO Channel 1 MIC INPUT XLR input for connecting microphone level signals in the range -63 to +5dBu. These are balanced and wired pin 2 hot. Use low impedance microphones (less than 600 ohms) and professional grade mic cables (2 core with shield) for best performance. You can also use these inputs with DI boxes and other low level sources. 48V Phantom Power Press this switch if the microphone needs phantom power. Some active DI boxes may also require power. Check the manuf
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GAIN Adjusts the sensitivity of the channel preamp to 0 -5 -5 20 10 match the connected source to the 0dBu operating level of the 30 10 console. The control has a very wide range matching mic 0 40 levels from a low -63dBu (0.5mV) to a high +5dBu (1.5V), and MIC 50 LINE line levels from -25dBu (45mV) to +10dBu (2.5V). -10 -5 63 25 The mic preamp is probably the most important stage 100Hz in the console signal path. Its performance is often the measure of how good the console is.
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BASS TREBLE EQUALISER The channel equaliser allows independent HF EQ adjustment of four frequency bands. This lets you accurately +20 pinpoint the frequencies you want to adjust to deal with +15 problems such as feedback or instrument resonance, or to creatively tailor the sound. +10 +5 HF The high frequency band has a shelving response that 0dB cuts or boosts the higher (treble) frequencies by up to 15dB. It -5 has most effect from 12kHz and higher. -10 HM The high mid band has
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AUX SENDS The PA Series has four auxiliary sends. These provide independent mixes from the channels. They FB1 have many applications, the most common being foldback monitor and effects sends. They can also be used for additional special feeds such as recording or clean feed. OO +6 FB2 FB1 Pre-fade aux send feeding the FB1 foldback monitor output. Turn up the control to send the channel signal to the mix, from fully off to a maximum +6dB boost. The unity 0dB OO +6 position is i
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PAN Adjusts the stereo position of the channel PK! The PFL switch LED also provides a channel signal in the main LR mix. At the centre position signal peak indication. The indicator lights brightly equal signal is sent to the L and R outputs. Fully when the pre-fade signal reaches +16dBu. This anticlockwise all the signal routes to L and none to means that it lights 5dB before clipping to give you R, and fully clockwise the reverse is true. The the chance to reduce the signal befo
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The STEREO Channel Dual Stereo Inputs Each stereo channel has two independent stereo inputs, ST1(3) and ST2(4). For convenience, one uses RCA phono connectors, the other uses TRS jacks. The two inputs mix together to feed the channel strip, or ST1(3) can be routed direct to the LR mix instead, leaving ST2(4) to feed the channel. This provides a very flexible arrangement for mixing up to four stereo sources. ST1(3) INPUT RCA phono inputs for connecting line level stereo signals.
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EQUALISER The stereo equaliser allows independent 12kHz adjustment of the low and high frequency bands. -15 +15 HF The high frequency band has a shelving response that cuts or boosts the higher (treble) frequencies by up to 15dB. It 60Hz has most effect from 12kHz and higher. LF The low frequency band has a shelving response that cuts -15 +15 or boosts the lower (bass) frequencies by up to 15dB. It has most effect from 60Hz and lower. The EQUALISER is based on the classic Baxe
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The EFFECTS Channel Overview The PA Series features a built-in digital stereo INPUT CHANNEL effects unit. Effects such as artificial reverberation, delay, echo A and chorus can be selected from the 16 presets. You can FX SEND independently control how much effect is added to each signal in the mix using the channel FX sends. The overall level of the AUX SEND effects in the LR and foldback mixes is adjusted using the effects channel described here. An external input facility is incl
