D 880 - Headphones AKG - Free user manual and instructions

USER MANUAL D 880 AKG

D 880M D 880M S D 880M/TM 40

User Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 12

Please read the manual before using the equipment!

1 Precaution/Description

Please make sure that the piece of equipment your microphone will be connected to fulfills the safety regulations in force in your country and is fitted with a ground lead.

1 D 880M or D 880M S or

Check that the packaging contains all of the components listed above. Should anything be missing, please contact your AKG dealer.

1.3 Optional Accessories

• MK 9/10 microphone cable: 10 m (30 ft.)

2-conductor shielded cable with 3-pin male and 3-contact female XLR connectors • TM 40 transmitter module • W 880 windscreen • H 30 universal elastic suspension, SA 26 stand adapter • ST 102A, ST 200, ST 305 floor stands

Frequency response optimized for vocal use.

Integrated wind and pop screen for effective suppression of pop and breath noise. Frequency independent supercardioid polar pattern for high gain before feedback. New Varimotion diaphragm for brilliant sound. Doubleflex shock mount on transducer element reduces handling and cable noise. Extremely resilient, spring-steel wire-mesh cap for extra impact resistance. Installation slot for optional TM 40 transmitter module.

The AKG D 880M is a supercardioid dynamic microphone. It has been designed specifically as a vocal microphone for rough onstage use. The wide frequency response of the D 880M slightly favors the midfrequency and treble regions to ensures good intelligibility of speech. The term "supercardioid polar response" means that the D 880M is most sensitive to sound arriving from in front of it, less sensitive to sound arriving from the sides and rear. This pickup pattern is virtually the same for all frequencies or, in other words, from the lowest to the highest notes ("frequency independent"). The Doubleflex shock mount on the transducer minimizes handling and cable noise. An integrated windscreen reduces pop, wind, and breath noise to a minimum. A rugged front grill made of spring-steel wire mesh that is extremely resistant to deformation and a sturdy zinc alloy diecast body effectively protect the microphone and transducer element from damage on stage and on the road. The D 880M features a removable connection module with a 3pin XLR connector. You can connect the microphone to both balanced and unbalanced mixer or amplifier inputs.

You can easily convert the microphone into a wireless microphone. All you need to do is remove the XLR connector module and replace it with an optional TM 40 transmitter module.

1.6 D 880M S The D 880M S has the same mechanical, electrical, and acoustic characteristics as the D 880M and features an XLR connector module with a noiseless on/off switch. The switch is recessed to prevent the microphone being switched off unintentionally.

Fig. 2: On/off switch on D 880M S.

The microphone provides a balanced output on a 3-pin male

XLR connector: Pin 1: ground Pin 2: hot Pin 3: return You can connect the microphone either to a balanced or an unbalanced microphone input.

2.2 Connecting the Microphone to a Balanced

Fig. 3: Using a balanced connecting cable.

1. Use a commercial XLR cable such as the optional MK 9/10 from AKG.

The length of these cables does not affect audio quality. 2. Plug the female XLR connector on the microphone cable into the male XLR connector on the microphone. 3. Plug the other connector on the microphone cable into the desired microphone input socket on your mixer or amplifier.

2.3 Connecting the Microphone to an Unbalanced Input

Fig. 4: Using an unbalanced cable.

1. To connect the microphone to an unbalanced microphone input (1/4" jack), use a cable with a female XLR connector and a 1/4" TS jack plug. These cables are available at music stores. Please note that unbalanced cables may pick up interference from stray magnetic fields near power or lighting cables, electric motors, etc. like an antenna. This may cause hum or similar noise when you use a cable that is longer than 16 feet (5 m). 2. Plug the female XLR connector on the microphone cable into the male XLR connector on the microphone. 3. Plug the other connector on the microphone cable into the desired microphone input jack on your mixer or amplifier.

The optional TM 40 transmitter module allows you to convert your microphone into a wireless microphone that you can use with any WMS 40 Series receiver from AKG.

Transmitter Module Start by removing the XLR connector module:

1. Open the fixing screw (1). 2. Pull the XLR connector module (2) out of the microphone body.

Fig. 5: Removing the XLR connector module.

3. To avoid losing the fixing screw (1), screw it into the threaded hole (3) in the XLR connector module. Install the transmitter module:

1. Do not forget to check the condition of the battery inside the transmitter module. If the battery is dead or there is no battery inside the transmitter module, insert a new battery.

2. Hold the transmitter module (1) to align the contacts (2) with the microphone. 3. Slide the transmitter module (1) into the microphone body to the point that the transmitter module (1) will lock with an audible click. As the transmitter module locks in place, the electrical connections to the microphone are made automatically.

For details on inserting, replacing, and testing the battery as well as setting up and operating the transmitter module refer to the TM 40 transmitter module manual.

Replacing the transmitter module with the

XLR connector module:

3 1. Insert a ball point pen, small screwdriver, or similar pointed object into the opening (1) in the microphone body and press inward.

The transmitter module (2) will unlock and slide out of the microphone body for about 0.1 inch.

Pull the transmitter module (2) out of the microphone. Unscrew the fixing screw (4) from the XLR connector module (3). Slide the XLR connector module (3) into the microphone body to the stop. To fix the XLR connector module (3), screw the fixing screw (4) down firmly.

Alternatively, you can remove the transmitter module simply by pulling it out of the microphone body with just enough force to unlock it. Make sure not to grasp the transmitter module by the battery compartment. (If you did, you would only open the battery compartment.)

3 Using Your Microphone

A handheld vocal microphone provides many ways of shaping the sound of your voice as it is heard over the sound system. The following sections contain useful hints on how to use your microphone for best results. The following sections apply to both the hardwire D 880M/ D 880M S and either version with an optional TM 40 transmitter module installed.

Basically, your voice will sound the bigger and mellower, the closer you hold the microphone to your lips. Moving away from the microphone will produce a more reverberant, more distant sound as the microphone will pick more of the room’s reverberation.

You can use this effect to make your voice sound aggressive, neutral, insinuating, etc. simply by changing your working distance. Proximity effect is a more or less dramatic boost of low frequencies that occurs when you sing into the microphone from less than 2 inches. It gives more "body" to your voice and an intimate, bass-heavy sound.

Distance and Proximity Effect

3 Using Your Microphone

3.3 Angle of Incidence

Fig. 8: Typical microphone position.

Fig. 9: Microphone placement for maximum gain before feedback.

Sing to one side of the microphone or above and across the microphone’s top. This provides a well-balanced, natural sound.

If you sing directly into the microphone, it will not only pick up excessive breath noise but also overemphasize "sss", "sh", "tch", "p", and "t" sounds.

Feedback is the result of part of the sound projected by a speaker being picked up by a microphone, fed to the amplifier, and projected again by the speaker. Above a specific volume or "system gain" setting called the feedback threshold, the signal starts being regenerated indefinitely, making the sound system howl and the sound engineer desperately dive for the master fader to reduce the volume and stop the howling.

To increase usable gain before feedback, the microphone has a supercardioid polar pattern. This means that the microphone is most sensitive to sounds arriving from in front of it (your voice) while picking up much less of sounds arriving from the sides or rear (from monitor speakers for instance).main ("FOH") speakers in front of the microphones (along the front edge of the stage). If you use monitor speakers, be sure never to point any microphone directly at the monitors, or at the FOH speakers. Feedback may also be triggered by resonances depending on the acoustics of the room or hall. With resonances at low frequencies, proximity effect may cause feedback. In this case, it is often enough to move away from the microphone a little to stop the feedback.

3 Using Your Microphone

1. Never let more than two persons share a microphone. 2. Ask your backing vocalists never to sing more than 35 degrees off the microphone axis. The microphone is very insensitive to off-axis sounds. If the two vocalists were to sing into the microphone from a wider angle than 35 degrees, you may end up bringing up the fader of the microphone channel far enough to create a feedback problem.

Fig. 10: Two vocalists sharing a microphone.

To clean the surface of the microphone body, use a soft cloth moistened with water.

1. Unscrew the front grill from the microphone CCW.

2. Remove the windscreen from the from grill and wash the windscreen in soap suds. 3. Allow the windscreen to dry overnight. 4. Replace the windscreen in the front grill and screw the front grill on the microphone CW.

1. Power to mixer and/or amplifier is off.

2. Channel or master fader on mixer, or volume control on amplifier is at zero. 3. Microphone is not connected to mixer or amplifier. 4. Cable connectors are seated loosely. 5. Cable is defective.

1. Switch power to mixer or amplifier on.

2. Set channel or master fader on mixer or volume control on amplifier to desired level. 3. Connect microphone to mixer or amplifier.

4. Check cable connectors for secure seat.

5. Check cable and replace if damaged. 6. Transmitter module is off 6. Switch transmitter modor muted. ule on. 7. No/dead battery in 7. Insert new/fully charged transmitter module. battery. 8. Receiver is off or not 8. Switch receiver on or connected to mixer. connect to mixer.

Microphone sound becomes duller by and by.

1. Gain control on mixer or 1. Set gain control to stop transmitter module not distortion. set correctly.

2. Mixer input sensitivity 2. Insert 10 dB preattenuatoo high. tion pad between microphone cable and input. • Internal or external windscreen attenuates high frequencies when soiled.

• Clean internal or external windscreen.

Polar pattern: Frequency range: Sensitivity at 1000 Hz: Max. SPL for 1 % / 3 % THD: Equivalent noise level: Electrical impedance at 1000 Hz: Recommended load impedance: Connector: Finish: Size: Net/shipping weight:

60 to 20,000 Hz 2.2 mV/Pa (–53 dBV re 1 V/Pa) 147 dB SPL / 156 dB SPL 22 dB-A (DIN 45412) ≤600 ohms ≥2000 ohms 3-pin XLR matte black length: 181 mm (7.1 in.) dia.: 50 mm (2 in.) 290 g (10.2 oz.) / 650 g (1.4 lbs.)

This product conforms to EN 50 082-1 provided it is connected to equipment with a CE sign.

1 D 880M o D 880M S o

1 D 880M o D 880M S o D 880M/TM 40

Interruptor con/des del D 880M S

5 Resolver problemas

914 Airpark Center Drive, Nashville, TN 37217, U.S.A., Tel: (+1 615) 620-3800, Fax: (+1 615) 620-3875, www.akgusa.com, e-mail: akgusa@harman.com

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