552 Packing List Thank you for purchasing the 552 Five-Channel Portable Production Mixer with Integrated Recorder. Please make certain that this package contains the listed items below.
552 Five-Channel Portable Production Mixer with Integrated Recorder User Guide and Technical Information firmware rev. 1.4 Sound Devices, LLC E7556 State Rd. 23/33 • Reedsburg, WI • USA +1 (608) 524-0625 • fax: +1 (608) 524-0655 Toll-Free: (800) 505-0625 www.sounddevices.com support@sounddevices.
52 User Guide and Technical Information Table of Contents Quick Start Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Front Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Rear Panel Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Left Panel Connectors and Controls . . . . . . 11 Right Panel Connectors and Controls . . . . . 12 Top and Bottom Panels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Voice Prompt . . . . . .
552 User Guide and Technical Information Welcome Thank you for purchasing the 552 Mixer. It is the next evolutionary step in professional, portable audio mixers. With a core design based on the legendary 442, it contains countless improvements and added flexibility. Developed with insight from the industry’s top audio engineers, the 552 Field Mixer encompasses the audio performance, feature set, and mechanical construction demanded by those who rely on audio gear for their livelihood.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Quick Start Guide This Quick Start Guide provides a brief overview for first use of the 552. 1) Connect power. For internal powering from AA batteries, unscrew the battery cap (counter-clockwise), insert four AA batteries (not included) positive (+) side first into the battery tube. Thread the battery cap back on (clockwise). For external powering, connect a DC powering source (not included) to the DC connector on the Right Panel.
552 User Guide and Technical Information 5) Set Input Type – Mic or Line Level. To select an input to Mic or Line level, hold an input’s PFL switch, then slide the SLATE MIC/TONE switch to the left. The input’s LINE LED illuminates blue when set to line level and the LED is not illuminated when set to Mic level. 1) Hold the Input’s PFL. 2) Slide the SLATE MIC/TONE switch left. 6) Apply Phantom Power to an input. The 552 supplies 48 V to inputs set to receive phantom power (PH).
552 User Guide and Technical Information 9) Set Input Faders in use to unity gain (0 dB or 12 o’clock). Faders not used should be set to off (full counter-clockwise position). Quickstart 10) Set Input Trim Levels. Push to release the recessed Trim (gain) Control. Turn the Trim Control clockwise to raise the level of the input. Once the gain has been set, push the Trim Control again to recess the control and remove it from the mixing surface. Use the Input Fader to make fine level adjustments.
552 User Guide and Technical Information 13) Adjust LED Meter brightness. Press and hold the Battery Check button while turning the Headphone Controller. 14) Check Internal and External power levels. Press the Battery Check button to display the internal and external power levels on the Output Meter LEDs. The internal AA battery level is displayed on the left meter and external DC voltage level is displayed on the right meter.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Voice Prompt The 552 features a Synthetic Voice for Enhanced Navigation, or SVEN. SVEN provides spoken word feedback when Setup Menu features are adjusted. He is designed to simplify control and provide important information to the user. Additionally, SVEN provides status information about the digital audio recorder and time and date information. SVEN is routed only to the headphone outputs. 19) Setting the Time and Date.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Front Panel Descriptions All 552 settings are accessed and controlled from the Front Panel. This allows the unit to be placed in a production bag while having complete control of the unit. 1 4 5 2 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 1) Input Fader Primary control for adjusting the level of an input during operation. Ranges from Off to +15 dB. Nominal setting is in the middle (0 dB). 2) Gain (Trim) Coarse input gain control.
552 User Guide and Technical Information 9) Link LED Illuminates blue when Inputs are linked as a stereo pair. Stereo linking configurations are selected in the Setup Menu. See Stereo Linking. 10) Input Pan Controls the Left/Right balance of the input signal to the outputs. 11) Input Polarity (Inputs 2 and 4 only) Illuminates blue when the Input’s polarity is reversed. To toggle the state of the input polarity, hold the selected input’s PFL then press the Battery Check button.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Front Panel Descriptions cont. 1 4 5 2 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 22) Power Switch Three-position slide switch, selects between internal battery power or external DC sources, middle position is Off. 23) Battery Check Button Press to display internal and external voltage levels on the Output Meter. Secondary function acts as shift key for various front panel features. Press and hold to announce card space available and current time and date.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Rear Panel Descriptions 1 2 1) SD Slot Protective rubber cover for SD (Secure Digital) memory card slot. Insert the SD/SDHC card into the slot until it sits securely in the slot. The card should glide smoothly into the slot. To remove the card, push to eject. MMC and SDXC cards are not supported. 1) Factory Programming Port Mini USB port used for initial factory programming. This connection has no user function.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Right Panel Connectors and Controls 1 2 3 4 10 5 11 1) Mono Mic Out Unbalanced mono mic-level output on 3.5 mm female connector, designed to connect to wireless IFB transmitters or transcription recorders. Tip = Hot (+), Sleeve = Ground. 2) Tape Out Unbalanced stereo output on 3.5 mm female connector. Sleeve = Ground, Tip = Left, Ring = Right. 3) RTN B In Unbalanced stereo 3.5 mm female connector for Return B audio input.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Top and Bottom Panels 1 2 1) Top and Bottom Panels Made of molded carbon fiber, this highly specialized composite has nearly identical strength-to-weight properties as die-cast magnesium. Additionally, the material also has the natural RF shielding abilities similar to aluminum. 2) Product Badge The product badge on the bottom panel can be covered with a customized identity tag. The label place holder on the bottom panel conforms to the 4” x 1.
552 User Guide and Technical Information The following information is reported by the SVEN. Function Description Card Space Available Press and hold the Battery Check button to announce the remaining card space available. SVEN automatically announces remaining record time at 15, 10, 5, and 2 minutes remaining. Time and Date Continue to hold the Battery Check button after Card Space Available announcement to hear the current time and date.
552 User Guide and Technical Information 1) Hold the Input’s PFL. 2) Slide the SLATE MIC/TONE switch left. Phantom Power Phantom powering is a fixed DC voltage of either 12 or 48 Volts. This voltage is resistively applied to pin 2 and pin 3 of an input’s XLR connector, relative to pin 1. In this configuration, there is no voltage difference between signal pins 2 and pin 3. The phantom voltage is selectable between 12 and 48 Volts in the Setup Menu.
552 User Guide and Technical Information disabled, no voltage is applied to the microphone input. Do not apply power to ribbon microphones, improperly wired cables can permanently damage the microphone. Gain - Trim and Fader Relationship The gain of an input is adjusted by two controls, Input Trim and Input Fader. This two-stage architecture is identical the to topology of mixing consoles and provides a great deal of flexibility.
552 User Guide and Technical Information When possible, attempt to equalize at the sound source with microphone selection, placement, windscreens, and onboard microphone filtering. Many microphones have on-board high pass filters. Use the high-pass filters on the 552 in conjunction with the microphone’s filter to increase the filter’s slope. The filter can be removed from the circuit completely by moving the high-pass filter control to the full counter-clockwise (detented) position.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Stereo Linking The Stereo Link feature allows two pairs of 552 inputs to be linked as stereo pairs. These are inputs 1,2 and inputs 3,4. In the Setup Menu inputs can be linked as either a Stereo Pair or an MS Stereo Pair. Input Linking is indicated by the odd channel’s (1 and 3) LINK LED. When an input pair is linked as an MS pair, both the Link and MS LEDs will be lit.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Output Setup and Control The 552 has stereo output bus that feeds multiple outputs. Additionally, each 552 input has its own direct output. This output flexibility is essential for complex, multi-camera productions. Master Gain Control The Master Gain Control adjusts the overall output level of the left and right outputs. The gain range of the Master Gain Control is from Off to +6 dB of gain.
552 User Guide and Technical Information nector. The Hirose 10-Pin also includes an unbalanced stereo return (RTN A) input for headphone monitoring. The Sound Devices XL-10 Breakout Cable is an available accessory that provides easy access to the balanced outputs and stereo RTN A connection of the 10-pin Hirose connector. See RTN and Connector Pin Assignments for details about the Hirose Multi-Pin connector. Direct Outputs Each input channel has its own balanced TA3 Direct Output connection.
552 User Guide and Technical Information To route the desired program to AES A follow the steps below. 1. Enter the Setup Menu. Press and hold the Battery Check button then press the Headphone Controller. 2. Navigate to the Setup Menu Function AES A Source (-10 LED on the Left Meter). Turn the Headphone Controller to move through Setup Menu Functions. SVEN announces each function as you step through the menu. 3. Enter the Setup Menu Function AES A Source (-10).
552 User Guide and Technical Information Setup Menu At Factory Default, the mixer is set to limit the output signal peak levels to +20 dBu. This assures that the output of the 552 will not overload inputs that accept full line-level signals. The orange LIM LEDs, located at the end of the meter scale, illuminate in various intensities to represent output limiting. LIM and LINK The Output Limiters can either be linked as a stereo pair (LINK) or can work as two independent limiters (LIM).
552 User Guide and Technical Information Press and hold the Battery Check button to have SVEN announce the remaining card space available in headphones. SVEN automatically announces the remaining time when 15, 10, 5, and 2 minutes are remaining on the SD card. File Format WAV (Broadcast WAV) The 552 records two-channel, polyphonic AES-31 Broadcast Wave formatted audio files. These files place additional information in the file header, called the Broadcast Audio Extension data chunk, and in the iXML chunk.
552 User Guide and Technical Information width, or frequency response, that can be represented by the digital signal. To roughly estimate the maximum bandwidth available for recording divide the sampling frequency by two. Recording Media The 552 records to a removable Secure Digital High Capacity (SD or SDHC) media. SD cards compatible with the 552 require FAT32 formatting.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Folder Structure The 552 automatically generates a new Daily Folder when a recording is started. These folders are named according to the current date, derived from the 552’s Time and Date Clock. A daily folder generated on October 15, 2009 would be named 09Y10M15. Sound files recorded by the 552 are always recorded to its own day’s daily folder. Example: 552 SD 1 SOUNDDEV SDINFO.TXT SDMIX552.SUP 1 09Y10M15 09Y10M15-001.WAV 09Y10M15-002.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Recorder Controller The 5-position Recorder Controller is used to perform all recording and playback functions. Function Direction Action Record Push the Recorder Controller Up In Standby, begins recording a file. If recording, begins recording a new file. Record/Pause Stop Press the Recorder Controller Action is dependent on Record Pause setting. When Record Pause is on, press once to pause the recording, press again to stop.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Record Mode The REC LED illuminates solid red while recording. The start of a recording is indicated audibly in headphones by a single, 440 Hz tone. When a recording is paused, one 220 Hz tone is heard in headphones and the REC LED flashes red. See Record Pause for details. When recording is stopped, two 220 Hz tones are heard in headphones. The Setup Menu is locked out while recording.
552 User Guide and Technical Information code value (Derived from the time-of-day clock) and a frame rate of 30ND stamped when time code mode is set to off. When time Code Mode is set to something other than off and valid time code is present at the RTN B TA3 connector, time code values and frame rates are written to the file at the moment the recording begins. This allows the Sound Mixer to sync the audio recorded by the 552 with the master source.
552 User Guide and Technical Information To playback a file, push the Record Controller down toward the Play position. To pause playback, press the Record Controller. To Stop playback, press the Record Controller twice. To Rewind or Fast Forward through a file, press and hold the Record Controller to the left or right respectively while the file is playing back. By default playback audio is only sent to the headphone monitor.
552 User Guide and Technical Information nation the user gets the best of both VU and Peak metering by seeing the “loudness” of the signal while observing peaks at the same time. Peak Hold + VU This is the default meter ballistics setting, it is a combination of Peak + VU and Peak Hold. The meter simultaneously displays the Peak and VU information while holding peak values for two seconds.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Headphone Monitoring Headphone Gain Headphone output level is controlled using the front panel Headphone Controller. While turning the Headphone Controller, the headphone gain level is temporarily displayed on the Right Output Meter. The 552 can drive headphones to dangerously high volumes. Turn down the headphone gain before selecting a headphone source to prevent accidental signal extremes.
552 User Guide and Technical Information The left meter indicates the signal level of the soloed channel. PFL monitoring only affects the headphone monitor, it does not affect audio sent to the outputs. The selected input’s Activity LED flashes yellow when the input’s PFL is latched on. PFL latching operation only allows for one input to be soloed at a time. To PFL multiple inputs, use momentary operation. RTN A and B The Return monitor switch has two positions, A and B.
552 User Guide and Technical Information 1. Press and hold the Battery Check button. 2. Slide the RTN A/B switch. 2. 1. Powering The 552 is powered by either internal batteries or external DC sources. The power switch selects the power source, either internal or external. There is a large enough power reserve to switch back and forth from one source to the other without interrupting mixer operation.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Voltage Metering Chart The Power LED lights green for any voltage higher than the Warning Point. When the voltage level drops to the Warning Point, the power LED illuminates yellow (Internal power only). When the Low Voltage point is reached the LED flashes red until the power source is exhausted and unable to power the mixer. Setting High Voltage Warning Point Low Voltage Power Source 1 13.0 11.5 11.0 12 V NiCad, NiMH. 2 17.0 11.5 11.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Program audio is muted while the slate mic is active. The signal is sent to all outputs and the Integrated Digital Audio Recorder. In the Setup Menu a one second, 400 Hz tone can be set to precede the slate microphone. Additionally, the slate mic can be disabled to prevent unintended activation. The slate mic is used as a communication system between the Sound Mixer and a Boom Operator when using the Talk Back mode, selected in the Setup Menu.
552 User Guide and Technical Information To setup a communication system follow these steps. 1. Connect the 552 Sound Mixer’s headphones to the 1/4-inch headphone jack. 2. Connect the Boom Operator’s headphones to the 3.5 mm headphone jack. 3. Enter the Setup Menu. Press and hold the Battery Check button then press the Headphone Controller. 4. Navigate to the Setup Menu Function Talk Back (0 LED on the Left meter). Turn the Headphone Controller to move through Setup Menu Functions.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Time of Day/Date Clock The 552 has a built-in time-of-day/date clock used to stamp recorded files with the time recorded. All clock references are in 24-hour format. To check the current time, press-and-hold the Battery Check button. If an SD card is inserted, the Remaining Record Time will precede the Time and Date announcement. To set the Time and Date Clock follow these steps: 1.
552 User Guide and Technical Information To Link two 552s together: 1. Connect the Link I/O of 552 A to the Link I/O of 552 B using a TA5F to TA5F cable (Sound Devices XLTA55 optional accessory). This will send the stereo mix of each 552 directly to the stereo output bus of both 552s. 552 A 552 B 2. Monitor the stereo sum of all ten input channels from either 552 headphone monitor. 3. Adjust the levels on each mixer accordingly.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Accessing the Setup Menu The Setup Menu controls a wide range of 552 settings. To enter the Setup Menu, press and hold the Battery Check button then press the Headphone Controller. Turn the Headphone Controller to scroll through the menu. Press the Headphone Controller to enter Functions and to select options. To exit the Setup Menu, press any key other than the Headphone Controller. The Setup Menu is locked out while record mode is active. 1.
552 User Guide and Technical Information 2. Press the Battery Check Button. To cancel, press the Stop key. If neither button is pressed in five seconds, the load settings function is canceled. If loading user settings, wait until SVEN announces “Load complete” before performing any other action. Factory Default Settings To restore Factory Default Settings, hold Input 4’s PFL, then press the Headphone Controller and the Battery Check button. SVEN announces “Load Factory Defaults.
552 User Guide and Technical Information LED Function Description Options Factory Default -14 Time Code Enables Time Code mode. Connect Time Code to RTN B TA3 connector. Time Code values are stamped within a recorded file. Time Code is recorded to an audio track when Replace Left or Replace Right is selected. Time Code to Track options force sampling rate to 48 kHz if set to higher sampling rates.
552 User Guide and Technical Information LED Function Description Options Factory Default 2 Meter Reference Level Selects 0 VU to dBu reference • 0 dBu VU & Peak (-30) • +4 dBu VU / 0 dBu Peak (-24) • +8 dBu VU / 0 dBu Peak (-22) • +1 dBu VU & Peak (-20) • +2 dBu VU & Peak (-18) • +3 dBu VU & Peak (-16) • +4 dBu VU & Peak (-14) • +5 dBu VU & Peak (-12) • +6 dBu VU & Peak (-10) • +7 dBu VU & Peak (-8) • +8 dBu VU & Peak (-6) 0 dBu VU & Peak 4 Meter Ballistics Selects the metering ballistics of t
552 User Guide and Technical Information Function Key Sequence Meter Zoom Action Press the Headphone Controller Toggles Meter Zoom on and off. When on, the resolution of the Output Meter is increased and ranges from 0 to 20 dB. 3.5 mm HP Gain (Talk Back Mode Only) + Slide the Slate Mic/Tone Switch Slate position and turn the Headphone Controller Adjusts the 3.5 mm headphone level in Talk Back mode.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Function Key Sequence Save User Setup to Internal Memory Load Factory Settings Hold PFL 2 and press the Stop button Saves User Settings to the internal memory of the 552. + Load User Setup from Internal Memory Hold PFL 2 and press the Headphone Controller Recalls User Settings from the internal memory of the 552. + + Action + Hold PFL 4 and press the Headphone Controller and the Battery Check button Restores all Setup Menu parameters to Factory Default.
AES I/O, GPIO, PWR COMPACT FLASH 552 User Guide and Technical Information Connector Pin Assignments Notes 5-Pin Mixer Link I/O 1 – HP L 2 – HP R 3 – Mix R 4 – Mix L 5 – Link detection/Ground Used to link the 552 to Sound Devices 302, 442, 552, or MixPre Field Mixers. Mates with Sound Devices XL-TA25, XL-35, and XL-TA55 optional accessory cables. See Accessories for details. 3.5 mm Headphone tip – signal L ring – signal R 2 sleeve –3 signal ground Mates with 3.5 mm TRS jack.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Input Limiters Affects the output of the mic preamps only ('Trim' stage), +18 dBu threshold, 20:1 limiting ratio, 1 mS attack time, 500 mS release time.
552 User Guide and Technical Information A/D Dynamic Range 103 dB, A-weighted bandwidth typical Media Type Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC), Secure Digital (SD) FAT32 formatted, will format media on-board File Type WAV - 2-Track Polyphonic, 16 bit, 24 bit MP3 - 2-Track Polyphonic, 64 kb/s, 128 kb/s, 192 kb/s, 320 kb/s fixed file name using date/time as file name, daily folders Sampling Clock Accuracy ± 0.
552 User Guide and Technical Information R AES LR R HIROSE R MONO MIC OUT TAPE OUT LR L HIROSE L FADER PHANTOM 12/48 V Global for All Channels PHANTOM FADER PRE/POST DIRECT OUT PRE/POST LINK TO MONITOR SECTION Headphone L Headphone R TA TA L AES A Block Diagram - Inputs and Outputs 48 v. 1.4 Features and specifications are subject to change. Visit www.sounddevices.com for the latest documentation.
552 User Guide and Technical Information REC Source RECORDER FROM D/A 5 5 Block Diagram - Monitoring 49
50 TA3 INPUT 5 PRE-FADE, LEFT/RIGHT MONO INPUT 1 PRE-FADE, LEFT INPUT 5 PRE-FADE, LEFT INPUTS 3, 4 POST-FADE INPUTS 3, 4 PRE-FADE INPUTS 1, 2 POST-FADE INPUTS 1, 2 PRE-FADE LEFT, RIGHT INPUT 1 PRE-FADE, LEFT/RIGHT MONO INPUT 1 PRE-FADE, LEFT INPUT 5 PRE-FADE, LEFT INPUTS 3, 4 POST-FADE INPUTS 3, 4 PRE-FADE INPUTS 1, 2 POST-FADE INPUTS 1, 2 PRE-FADE LEFT, RIGHT TIME CODE A/D A/D RECORDER SD CARD D/A AES B AES A TO MONITOR SECTION TO MONITOR SECTION TO XLR R OR HIROSE R TO XLR L OR
2 User Guide and Technical Information Accessories Several high-value accessories are available for the 552, including production cases, cables, and power accessories. For a full list of Sound Devices products and accessories, visit our web site www.sounddevices.com/products. Optional 552 Related Accessories CS-5 Production case with high-quality strap for use with the 552 with integrated accessory compartment and NP-type battery compartment. Built for Sound Devices by CamRade.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Wave Agent Wave Agent Beta is a WAV file librarian for Mac OS and Windows computers. Designed for Production Sound Mixers and Post Production Editors, Wave Agent provides a comprehensive and indispensable range of tools for preparing audio files for problem-free passage through complex production workflows. Wave Agent is an essential, time-saving tool for anyone working in Production Sound.
552 User Guide and Technical Information CE Declaration of Conformity According to ISO/IEC Guide 22 Sound Devices, LLC 300 Wengel Drive Reedsburg, WI 53959 USA declares that the product, 552 Five Channel Portable Production Mixer with Integrated Recorder is in conformity with and passes: EN55103-1, 1997 EMC-product family standard for audio, video, audio-visual and entertainment lighting control apparatus for professional use.
552 User Guide and Technical Information Warranty and Technical Support Warranty & Service Sound Devices, LLC warrants the 552 Mixer against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of TWO (2) years from date of original retail purchase. This is a non-transferable warranty that extends only to the original purchaser. Sound Devices, LLC will repair or replace the product at its discretion at no charge. Warranty claims due to severe service conditions will be addressed on an individual basis.
552 rev. 1.4 - Printed in U.S.A.