Radial Engineering Ltd.
Gold Digger™ Microphone Selector
True to the Music
®
4
SETTING THE TRIM LEVELS
Setting the TRIM levels on the front panel is a very important step if you are interested in
achieving a fair evaluation between mics. The Gold Digger’s four TRIM controls allows the
output level of each mic to be adjusted individually. Properly setup, there should be very little
change in level when switching between the four mics. This will help ensure a fair and honest
evaluation of your microphones.
Begin by ensuring all four TRIM controls are set to maximum (fully clockwise). Next,
determine which of the four mics has the
lowest
output level by switching between mics while
monitoring the output. Once the lowest output mic has been determined the TRIM controls
are used to attenuate the louder mics to match. For instance, if mic-1 is the lowest output
mic, leave it’s TRIM set at maximum and reduce the gain of the other mics to match. Using
a guitar pick or small screwdriver, turn the louder mic’s TRIM controls counter-clockwise until
the relative output level stays the same when switching between mics.
+48V
TRIM
+48V
TRIM
+48V
TRIM
+48V
TRIM
ON
1
ON
2
ON
3
ON
4
MIC INPUT
MIC INPUT
MIC INPUT
MIC INPUT
4 CHANNEL MIC SELECT
OR
MIC INPUT
MIC INPUT
+48V
ON
+48V
ON
MIC INPUT
MIC INPUT
ON
4
3
2
1
ON
+48V
TRIM
TRIM
TRIM
TRIM
+48V
1
Dynamic
+48V: Off
TRIM: Max
+48V: Off
TRIM: -3dB
+48V: Off
TRIM: -3dB
+48V: On
TRIM: -8dB
2
Dynamic
3
Ribbon
4
Condenser
Once all of the mic levels have been matched, you can fi nalize your preamps gain setting and
additional signal processing like compression and equalization. Keep in mind that dynamic
microphones do not have built-in buffers like condensers. This means that when you adjust
the TRIM level, the tone may change slightly because of small changes to the impedance.
Good news here is that if you are comparing a dynamic to a condenser, the condenser, by
virtue of it’s active buffers, will usually be louder and less prone to impedance changes, thus
trimming down the level on condenser mics will have no sonic effect on the sound allowing
you to make a fair comparison between dynamic and condenser mics.
WHEN DOES ‘COMPARING MICS’ MAKE SENSE?
The most obvious time to use the Gold Digger will be with vocalists. There is no question
that singers perform better when the sound they hear in their headphones is the one they
envision in their head. Using the Gold Digger to compare mics on guitar cabinets can lead
to very interesting results as well. The same can be said on a snare drum or even on a kick
drum. Putting up more than one mic takes no time at all, and with the Gold Digger in the
signal path, you are not adding any noise or distortion so you are not compromising your
tone in any way. Just have fun!
