M-400

A Breakthrough Live Mixing and Recording System

The M-400 is a complete digital mixing system that provides the purest sound possible. The complete system incorporates a digital snake and mixing console in one integrated system. The M-400 is a member of the V-Mixer lineup which includes the M-380 and the M-300.

Main Features

Configurable digital snakes with high quality, remotely controlled mic preamps on stage;
Cat5e distribution that is light weight, low cost and without the high frequency losses inherent in analog snakes;
A 48-channel Mixing Console with 18 buses, 8 matrices, channel and bus DSP, 4 stereo FX processors, 4 graphic EQs or 8-band PEQs, built-in stereo recording and playback, and built in multi-channel split port;
Up to 40 channels of limitless digital splits over Cat5e for monitor/broadcast positions, personal mixing, and/or PC recording without any audio interfaces;
Full compatability and interchange of projects wih the M-380 V-Mixer;
Returns to stage over Cat5e cable

The V-Mixing System was awarded both the "Best Audio Product Digital Mixing Console"
and the "Best Overall Audio Product" at the Worship Facilities (WFX) Conference 2008.

V-Mixing System Wins Rental & Staging System's "Best Audio Control or Mixing Product " at InfoComm 2008.

logo_par_award V-Mixing System Wins ProAudio Review's "PAR Excellence Award 2007".
Each year at the Audio Engineering Society convention, a select group of audio professionals peruse the aisles to find the latest and greatest pro audio gear. Sequestered in a secret location, the judges then nominate and vote on their choices for the coveted PAR Excellence Award, based on the following criteria: Innovation • Value • Performance.

A Breakthrough Live Mixing and Recording System

Easy to Use
The M-400 is designed to be fast and intuitive to use for the beginner or the experienced professional. It features dedicated knobs and buttons for all console functions, 25 touch-sensitive moving faders, onboard Help, large - bright TFT LCD display and Cat5e connectivity for low cost installation and truly portable systems.

Outstanding Sound Quality
The M-400 is a complete digital solution maintaining 24-bit audio from the stage to the splits and back to the stage. Preamps on stage provide the highest possible sound quality and intelligibility. Cat5e snake eliminates the high frequency losses inherent in analog snakes. Onboard digital processing, channel DSP and routing eliminate any chance for buzzes from extra cabling and analog to digital conversion losses. Built-in 24-bit recording provides lossless capture of live events. The Digital Split allows lossless transmission to monitoring, recording or broadcast positions. Bus and Main LRC returns over Cat5e enables a complete digital signal path back to the stage.

Powerful Digital Benefits
Instantly change from event to event with 300 Scenes for total recall of all mixer, effect and routing parameters. Password level access provides only the relevant controls for any particular type of user. PC software allows loading/saving setups as well as real-time control. Libraries provide the ability to for storing custom channel, patchbay and effect settings. Direct to PC recording over Cat5e enables up to 40 channels of direct digital recording.

Additional Features

Support for Revolutionary Personal Mixing with the M-48 Live Personal Mixer
Support for Left-Center-Right (LCR) sound system conﬁgurations
Six Newly Added Vintage Effects
Real-time Analyzer
Enhanced Parametric EQ ability
Numerous User Interface Enhancements

Support for LCR Sound Systems The LCR (Left-Center-Right) mode is now supported as a direct response to customer requests. Simply enable the LCR mode in the system conﬁguration to activate this feature.	Support for Personal Mixing and Monitoring The M-400 V-Mixer can be used to setup, conﬁgure and control multiple REAC-enabled M-48 Live Personal Mixers. The M-48 represents a breakthrough in professional personal monitoring and mixing.
Six Newly Added Vintage Effects Access some of Roland's legendary vintage effects within the M-400. Original sounds used by engineers the world-over extends the range of live expression.	GEQs can now be switched to PEQs Any existing 31-band Graphic EQ can now be switched to an 8-band Parametric EQ. The Real Time Analyzer enables a quick look and instant adjustment of the acoustic characteristics of a venue

Six Vintage Effects
Roland has been a leader in creating some of the world's most popular effect processors. Now included in the M-400 are six perfectly emulated popular and classic vintage effects.

Space Echo - RE-201 The world's standard in tape echo effect. Spring Echo is also emulated perfectly.	Stereo Flange - SBF-325 Employs 3 Flangers and 1 Chorus. Supports Stereo Inputs.
Dimension D - SDD-320 The studio standard - Dimension. Also supports multi-button mode.	Digital Delay - SDE-3000 The standard Digital Delay of sound reinforcement and recording. Can be used by two channels for dual mono effect.
Phase Shifter - SPH-323 Dual channel Phaser employs LFO.Also possible to link two units modulation.	Digital Reverb - SRV-2000 The standard in Digital Reverb with a accurately modelled EQ character.

Support and management of multiple M-48 Live Personal Mixers for the ultimate in monitoring environments
For the performing musician wanting the best possible sound quality and ﬂexibility in their individual stage mix, the M-48 Live Personal Mixer offers control over 40 audio sources that can be easily managed in 16 assignable stereo groups. Conﬁgurations are straightforward with the ability to control, save and recall all connected M-48s from an M-400 or M-380 V-Mixer allowing the FOH engineer to assist in setup and mixing. The use of IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) dramatically reduces the amount of sound picked up by stage microphones. It also eliminates feedback while providing superb sound quality for both live performance and recording.

The backbone of the V-Mixing System is based on REAC - Roland's Ethernet Audio Communication transmission protocol for low latency, high quality digital audio transfer. Products using REAC technology are installed today in many venues and have been used for high profile events worldwide. REAC's 24-bit, 40x40 channel protocol delivers pristine digital audio via lightweight, inexpensive and easy to install cable (Cat5e). REAC technology is immune to externally induced signal quality degradation or hums and buzzes typically found in analog systems. You have more freedom in cable placement resulting in lower cost and better sounding.

V-Mixer M-400 Specifications
PROCESSING
Channels	48 inputs / 18 buses
Signal Processing	56-bit
AD/DA Conversion	24-bit / 44.1kHz or 24-bit / 48kHz
Network Latency	2.8 ms (typical) * Total System Latency of audio signal from S-1608 inputs to outputs via M-400¢¥s REAC ports (A or B). * Sample Rate: 48.0 kHz * Effects : No insert effects
CONNECTORS
XLR Inputs (1 to 8 )	XLR-3-31 type (balanced with phantom power)
Talkback Mic Input	XLR-3-31 type (balanced with phantom power)
RCA Inputs (L/R)	RCA Pin Type
XLR Outputs (1 to 8)	XLR-3-32 type (balanced)
Phone Output	Stereo 1/4 inch phone type
Digital Outputs	Optical type x 1 and Coaxial type x 1
REAC Ports	RJ-45 EtherCon type x 3
USB Ports	A type x 1 and B type x 1
Remote Connectors	RS-232C (D-Sub 9 pin type) x 1* MIDI (5 pin DIN type) x 2 (Out/Thru & In) * Serial remote control is not available on version 1 firmware
Other Connectors	LAMP (XLR-4-31 type) x 1, Grounding terminal, AC Input
INPUT / OUTPUT CHARCTERISTICS
Frequency Response	XLR output jacks (1 to 8) : -2 dB / +0 dB (20k ohms load, +4 dBu) Phones jack: -3 dB / +0 dB (40 ohms load, 150 mW)
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise	XLR output jacks (1 to 8): 0.05 % (typical), Phones jack: 0.05 % (typical)
Dynamic Range	XLR output jacks (1 to 8): 110 dB (typical)
Cross Talk@1kHz	XLR input jacks (1 to 8): -80dB (Pad: ON, Input gain: +10 dBu, typical) XLR output jacks (1 to 8): -100 dB (typical)
Nominal Input Level (Variable)	XLR input jacks (1 to 8): -65 to -10 dBu (Pad: OFF) or -45 to +10 dBu (Pad: ON) RCA input jacks (L/R): -18 to 0 dBu Talkback input jack: -50 to -10 dBu
Input Impedance	XLR input jacks (1 to 8): 14 k ohms, RCA input jacks (L/R): 10 k ohms, Talkback input jack: 41 K ohms
Non Clip Maximum Input level	XLR input jacks (1 to 8): +8 dBu (Pad: OFF) or +28 dBu (Pad: ON), RCA input jacks (L/R): +18 dBu, Talkback input jack: +8 dBu
Nominal Output Level	XLR output jacks (1 to 8): +4 dBu (Load impedance: 10 k ohms)
Output Impedance	XLR output jacks (1 to 8): 600 ohms, Phones jack: 100 ohms
Recommended Load Impedance	XLR output jacks (1 to 8): 10 k ohms or greater, Phones jack: 8 ohms or greater
Non Clip Maximum Output level	XLR output jacks (1 to 8): +22 dBu (1 kHz, 10 k ohms load) Phones jack: 150 mW + 150 mW (1 kHz, 40 ohms load)
Residual Noise Level (IHF-A, typical)	-88 dBu (All faders : Min)
Equivalent Input Noise Level (E.I.N.)	-126 dBu
OTHER
Display	800 x 480 dots Wide VGA backlit TFT full color
Power Supply	AC 115 V, AC 117 V, AC 220 V, AC 230 V, AC 240 V (50/60 Hz)
Power Consumption	95 W
Dimensions	749.0 (W) x 626.0 (D) x 229.0 (H) mm 29-1/2 (W) x 24-11/16 (D) x 9-1/16 (H) inches
Weight	19.8 kg, 43 lbs 11 oz
* When a REAC Splitter S-4000SP or a switching hub is used in-line with REAC cables, the network latency will increase by the amount of processing delay introduced by the splitting device itself. The actual delay is dependent upon the specifications of the splitting device, (0dBu=0.775Vrms) though the maximum delay amount for a single splitting device should be about 200 microseconds. In the interest of product improvement, the specifications and/or appearance of this unit are subject to change without prior notice.

USB Memory Key Capacity

The M-400 V-Mixer can record a 16-bit stereo linear WAV file to a USB memory drive from any two sources. The record sampling rate is dictated by the rate set in the System Setup (44.1kHz or 48kHz).

Sample Rate	MB per stereo minute		512MB	1GB	2GB	4GB	8GB	16GB	32GB	64GB
44.1 KHz	10	mins	47	94	188	377	754	1509	3019	6038
44.1 KHz	10	hours	0.7	1.5	3.1	6.2	12.5	25.1	50.3	100.6
48 KHz	11	mins	43	86	173	346	693	1386	2773	5547
48 KHz	11	hours	0.7	1.4	2.8	5.7	11.5	23.1	46.2	92.4
*Actual physical capacity of USB drives are less than stated. These timings are therefore approximated. Allow for a 5-10% overhead.

A Breakthrough Live Mixing and Recording System

Although numerous configurations are possible, here are a few of the more popular ones. Click on a thumbnail to see the corresponding diagram. M-380 V-Mixers can be interchanged with M-400 V-Mixers.

Basic M-400 V-Mixing System (26x18)	Standard M400 V-Mixing System (42x26)	Expanded M-400 V-Mixing System (58x26)
Standard M-400 V-Mixing System with Expanded Outputs (50x34)	Redundant M-400 V-Mixing System (42x16)

Example Split Configurations

Standard M-400 V-Mixing System with Analog Breakout	Standard M-400 V-Mixing System with Personal Mixing	M-400 V-Mixing System with M-380 Monitor/Broadcast Position
Standard M-400 V-Mixing System with SONAR V-Studio 700 REAC Recording	Large M-400 V-Mixing System (74x26) with Personal Mixing, SONAR V-Studio Recording, M-380 Monitor/Broadcast Position and Analog Breakout

questions about products

- I get some noise/hiss in my audio if I turn up the gain and faders on unused input ports. Is this normal?

A pre-amp will produce some noise if nothing is plugged into it (i.e., not terminated) and you turn it up. Best practice is to mute or minimize any inputs that do not have an audio source plugged into them.

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- I ripped some CD songs to WAV and put them on a USB stick or USB key. When I play them on the M-400, they cause the clip indicators to light up. They´re not distorted or loud. But the clip indication bothers me.

Most music CD´s are heavily compressed and peak at digital 0dB. Because we are porting the USB stick directly into a channel, we can attenuate it (if it´s really too loud) but we can´t adjust the incoming gain. Your CD music should sound fine; it´s merely tripping the clip indicators. To solve this, you can edit your WAV file in an audio editing program and drop its gain a few dB. This will stop the clip indicators without harming the sound quality of your files.

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- When I Recall a Scene, the faders don´t move to where the Scene had them set. Why?

When you perform a Recall, you can filter what parameters will actually be recalled. Activate the Scene Memory DISP button and look at the RECALL PARAMS and see if the desired ones are checked. Then press F6: GLOBAL SCOPE and verify that the faders and parameters you want to Recall are checked.

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- What settings should my AES Output card (SO-AES4) be set to when using with an M-400 console within the V-Mixing System?

When using an SO-AES4 digital output card within a V-Mixing System, set its clock to SRC. Then set the sample frequency to match what your console is set to in the System menu (48kHz or 41kHz). Alternatively you can use an External Clock source from a digital signal processor or other appropriate device. Do not use the INT setting on the card as this will make the S-4000S internal clock conflict with the M-400 Master clock resulting in garbage sound.

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- How do I update the firmware on my M-400?

Start by formatting your USB stick in the M-400. Plug it into the M-400´s USB stick port and selct SYSTEM > USB MEMORY > FORMAT > FORMAT. If the stick fails to format, try another stick. Once your USB stick is formatted, plug it into your computer and copy the M400.PRG file into the root directory of your USB stick. (The root directory is the primary directory such as E: or F:, etc - do not hide the update file inside any of the folders). Once the update file is copied over, eject the USB stick from your computer, plug it into the M-400´s USB stick port and select SYSTEM > SYSTEM UPDATE > SYSTEM UPDATE. Wait for the update process to complete. When it is complete, you will prompted to turn off your M-400. Turn it off, then back on. When it reboots, select SYSTEM and verify that SYSTEM VERSION number matches the firmware update number you just installed. You can now safely delete the M400.PRG file from your USB stick (using your computer) if you desire.

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- "I need to send a ""split"" off to a monitor/broadcast position. I may also want a split to REAC SONAR. What´s the best way to do that?"

"While the M-400 has a built-in ""Split/Backup"" port, that port always has fixed port assignments. In order to have miximum flexibility, it´s best to use the ""REAC B Split"" method of feeding a split location. To do this, connect one of your Stage Units (S-4000S or S-1608) to a gigabit Ethernet switching hub (such as the RSS S-4000SP). Then, connect another switch port to REAC B on your M-400 console. Then, connect another REAC cable to your Split position. You can now go to te REAC B Output Patchbay and patch any 40 sources - Direct Out´s, AUXes, Matrices. MONs, MAINs, etc - to any 40 output ports. Those 40 sources can be sent to an S-4000S 0040, to REAC SONAR or to another M-400 console configured as a Monitor/Bcast console. The REAC B Split design provides the most flexibility, assignability and control over any potential Split location."

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- I have a V-Mixing system with an M-400 at FOH and another M-400 that I´m using as a Monitor console. I´m using the REAC B Split setup and sending 40 Sources from REAC B at FOH to REAC A at Monitor. The problem is when I Mute a channel at FOH, it gets muted at Monitor as well. Why is that?

The FOH M-400 will mute outgoing REAC B Direct Out´s. If you have a Basic or Standard V-Mix system, you can opt to use the Split/Output port of your FOH M-400 to route your REAC A Returns as well as your and REAC B sources to Monitor-land. This will override muting at the FOH M-400. But it also means that you cannot manually assign the 40 sources going to your MONITOR M-400. We are looking into this Mute situation.

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- "I want to add an internal compressor or a delay to an AUX SEND. I may also want to add a delay or compressor to a Matrix. The effects should pretty much be ""on"" all the time. How do I set this up?"

In the Effects Menu, route the AUX SENDs, MAINs or Matrices that you want to delay into an Effects port. From the Effects Library, select CH. STRIP x2. This is a dual-mono effects bin that incldes a simple time delay. You can adjust the delay by msec, note, distance (feet/meters) or frame (video).

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- I´m using the M400RCS software program. I really don´t like using the mouse to control various knobs. Isn´t there a keyboard controll that will toggle a knob up or down?

Yes. Select the knob you want to control and use the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys to control it. If you hold the SHIFT key, you will get fine-grain control as well.

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