USB2200a Technical Manual
Using Your sE USB2200a Microphone
The SE electronics sE USB2200a is a dual function microphone based on
the same capsule as our award winning SE2200A Studio microphone.
Based around a gold sputtered, large diaphragm cardioid capsule, the
sE USB2200a can be connected via its XLR connection and powered by
standard 48Volt phantompower for studio applications. For mobile use
or for recording where no other hardware is available, it can also plug
directly into the USB port ofan Apple Mac or Windows PC computer where
it combines the functionality of a high quality studio microphone and
an audio interface. A headphone jack on the side of body microphone
is used for monitoring while a rotary control on the microphone allows
you to adjust the balance of the microphone signal to the DAW software’s
output. In practical terms this means you are able to both record and
monitor via the microphone using no additional hardware. All you
need is some basic audio recording software and this is often provided
with the computer as standard (such as Apple’s Garage Band), though
the sE USB2200a is also fully compatible with Pro DAW (Digital Audio
Workstation) applications such as Cubase, Traktion, Reason, Ableton
Live, Logic Express/Pro, Sonar, Cool Edit Pro, Digital Performer and so
on. Furthermore, as the sE USB2200a is a class compliant USB2 device, it requires no additional driver
software.
In USB mode, the microphone gain is optimised for close speech or general purpose instrument
recording, and can be further adjusted via the Mac or PC Audio device control panel. Apple Macs and
PCs handle digital audio slightly differently so the sE USB2200a also includes a Mac/PC switch to provide
the correct output level for both platforms. The combination of the MAC/PC gain switch and the ability to
further adjust the mic gain via the Mac and PC control panel allows the USB2200a to be applicable for a
far wider range of pro applications than other USB microphones. To ensure the highest audio quality, the
sE USB2200a uses extremely advanced, proprietary voltage conditioning technology to ensure that the
noise and distortion performance is not compromised by the quality of the USB port power supply. When
used in XLR analogue mode, the gain is fully adjustable using your mixer or microphone preamplifier.
Though the sE USB2200a is suitable for creating high quality Podcast audio, it is also ideal for voice
overs, studio vocals and for instrument use, such as acoustic guitar, guitar amplifiers or percussion. Using
the microphone is very straightforward but please read this manual through at least once as you may
otherwise miss important information.
Key Features
1.
Support for USB 2.0 with USB 1.x compatibility on both Apple Macintosh and Windows PC systems.
2.
Supports both stereo D/A and A/D conversion allowing monitoring via the headphone jack on the
mic body.
3.
Can be powered via USB or phantom powered when used as an analogue studio microphone. When
powered by USB Phantom is not required.
4.
Zero Latency ‘direct source’ monitoring. The microphone monitor level is adjustable via the on-mic
volume control. The DAW playback volume is adjusted from within the DAW software. This allows for
complete monitoring flexibility directly though the sE USB2200a.
