Dynacord PowerMate 600-3 Power Mixer

This extremely compact powered mixer is the youngest member of the PowerMate3 family. With a total output of 2,000 watts, it is far and away the most powerful compact mixer on the world market, yet it weighs only 9kg! With its very lavish feature set and exemplary versatility it is the ideal choice for all professional applications in which few channels yet very high audio quality are required.

Performance without compromises: intuitively operated mixing section; 2 editable digital effects devices with 100 presets each and 20 user memories each; professional 4xIN / 4xOUT digital interface (USB) for the connection of a PC or Mac; stereo equalizer in the master section; large, contrast-rich OLED display; and a class-D high-performance power amplifier delivering 2 x 1,000 watts RMS into 4 ohms. Exclusively high-quality brand components have been used; all faders and potentiometers are supplied by ALPS.

In the mixer section, a total of 8 channel strips are available: 4 MIC / LINE channels, 2 MIC / Stereo USB channels ('Super Channels') and 2 stereo LINE channels.

The MIC / LINE channels offer extremely low-noise and low-hum electronically balanced XLR microphone inputs with an extremely low distortion factor (typ. < 0.002%) for the connection of low-impedance microphones. For condenser microphones, phantom power (+48 volts) is centrally switchable. The LINE inputs are also electronically balanced and implemented as jack sockets. In addition to a Gain control, a highly efficient 3-band equalizer, an FX send, an AUX send and a MONitor send as well as either Panorama or Balance controls are available. The four MIC / LINE channels boast, in addition, a switchable 80Hz Lo-Cut filter, whilst the Super Channels 5-6 and 7-8 are supplied by the USB inserts 1-2 and 3-4, in each case in stereo.

The STEREO-LINE channels (9-10 and 11-12) offer electronically balanced jack inputs for the connection of electronic instruments such as keyboards, drum-computers, guitars and basses with active electronics, as well as all other high-level stereo signal sources such as additional mixers, effects devices etc. CD or MP3 players can be connected to the additional cinch (RCA) inputs CD 1-2 and CD 3-4, which are switched in parallel. The tone controls and sends are identical to those of the MIC / LINE channels.

In all input channels, a Signal / Peak LED is provided to assist level control. The SIG LED illuminates at around 30 dB and the PK LED at 6dB beneath the distortion threshold. A MUTE button and a PFL button (in channels 5-12 in stereo) are further features found in all input channels.

The DIGITAL AUDIO INTERFACE supplies two stereo channels, present as USB 1-2 and USB 3-4 in Super Channels 5-6 and 7-8 respectively. This interface is implemented professionally in 24-bit resolution and supports sampling rates up to 96 kHz, thereby satisfying studio requirements. The USB sends are supplied with the Master L and R, AUX and MON signals. The DIGITAL AUDIO INTERFACE can be used for input and output simultaneously. Via the USB 2.0 port of your PC / Mac, four channels can be transmitted simultaneously in each direction. When a USB 1.1 interface is used, two channels can be transmitted simultaneously in each direction. The PowerMate is designed for the level of standard PCs / Macs; the gain level can easily be adjusted, if need be, from the computer connected.

Included in the delivery is a DVD containing the professional recording software Cubase LE and PC / Mac USB drivers.

PC MIDI Interface
The PowerMate also makes available a fully-featured PC MIDI interface.
The MIDI input also supports the remote switching of both internal effects units using a master keyboard or MIDI footswitch.

In the PowerMate's Master Section are to be found the Master A L+R sends (on separate faders), an additional Master B send (switchable pre/post and mono/stereo), the stereo effects returns, and the send signals of the AUXiliary and MONitor busses. If the AUX buss is not used to supply FX 2, it can be switched pre or post and thereby used as an additional monitor send or to supply an external effects device.

The 9-band stereo equalizer in the master section allows you to adjust the frequency response to the acoustics of the room.

The REC SEND and USB OUT controls determine the level of the master L+R signal at the Rec Send sockets and in the output channels of the digital USB interface. The control below it allows you to adjust the volume in the headphones.

Two ten-LED meters provide an overview of the power amplifier level. When the PFL switch is activated, the left-hand LED chain shows the internal level of the master buss in dBu.

The STANDBY switch mutes all outputs. For the playback of things like interval music, the DEVICE SETUP menu allows you to route stereo channel 11-12 for standby operation directly to the power amplifiers.

The PowerMate is equipped with two very high-quality, 24-bit stereo effects processors, FX 1 and FX 2; these function independently and can therefore be mixed. The two effects units are fully identical in design. Each effects section offers 100 presets including high-quality reverb, delay and modulation effects selected by means of the display. When a delay effect is active, the delay time can be synchronized to the beat of the music using the TAP key. The further possibility exists of modifying individual parameters of the presets and storing the results in the 20 user memories provided.

Both effects units are supplied by the FX Send buss. Using the DEVICE SETUP menu, you can, if you wish, configure the AUX send buss to function as an FX 2 send, so that only the FX 1 effects unit is supplied by the FX 1 buss. In this way, the two effects devices can be controlled independently of one another.

The effects can be mixed separately in the master and monitor busses.

The large, high-contrast OLED display is easily read from a wide range of viewing angles—even in very bright surroundings. The operation of the effects units and processing menus is intuitive and made easier still through the use of soft keys and a rotary encoder.

Processing Menus: Particularly valuable in making it possible to adjust the PowerMate perfectly to the selected loudspeaker cabinets, thereby optimizing the audio performance and maximizing the operating safety and reliability of the system, are the LPN Processing and Speaker Protection menus.

LPN processing
Typical small to medium-sized loudspeaker cabinets, for physical reasons that have nothing to do with their make or quality, exhibit distortion in the transient response of the woofer. Since neither graphic nor parametric equalizers can do anything to alleviate this problem, the PowerMate offers a configurable LPN (low-pass notch) filter. Depending upon the size of the loudspeaker cabinet being used and also to adjust to problematic acoustics (such as those of bassy, boom-ridden rooms), the LPN filter can be set to either High or Medium. The result is considerably greater punch (e.g. from the bass drum), an extension downwards of the frequency response, and improved transparency in the bass and midrange.

Speaker Protection
This menu allows you to match perfectly the continuous power output of the PowerMate’s power amplifiers to the connected loudspeakers in the interests of greater operational safety and reliability.

Through dynamic limiting of the maximum power at the output, loudspeaker damage due to thermal overload can be avoided, without the wide dynamic range of the power amplifiers being sacrificed. For this purpose, the maximum permissible nominal power handling of the connected loudspeaker cabinet can be selected from the menu. Unlike the case with conventional voltage limiters, dynamic peaks of short duration are permitted, as loudspeaker cabinets can as a rule tolerate peak levels many times higher than their nominal sustainable loads (RMS).

The speaker protection supervises permanently the amount of energy being fed to the loudspeakers, only limiting it in the event of a threatened overload, and even then, doing so softly and inaudibly. For peak levels of short duration, the full output of the power amplifier remains available at all times, even when relatively small cabinets are being used. As a result, not only is the maximum dynamic range of the system maintained but also, and at all times, the highest degree of operational safety and reliability.

Professional Digital High-Performance Power Amplifier
The PowerMate is equipped with a professional, extremely powerful, stereo power amplifier that uses modern and highly efficient class-D technology for audio performance of the highest quality.

What this means is that at a nominal output of 2 x 1,000 watts RMS into 4 ohms (or 2 x 1,350 watts RMS into 2.7 ohms) only a comparatively small amount of heat is generated within the device, which therefore consumes considerably less electricity than a conventional power amplifier. The minimal load impedance at the output is 2.7 ohms, making operation with up to three 8-ohm loudspeaker cabinets per channel, connected in parallel, possible with no problems.

The overall power supply is handled by an extremely stable, microprocessor-controlled, switching power supply, bringing massive gains in terms of weight-saving over a conventional toroidal transformer. Another advantage is the automatic mains voltage switching, which ensues that the PowerMate can be used without any problem anywhere in the world. Voltage surge protection is also integrated. A ‘soft start’ function prevents the mains fuse tripping when the device is switched on.

The PowerMate is equipped, naturally, with all the protective circuitry familiar from DYNACORD power amplifiers and satisfies even the extreme demands of hard tour use. The power amplifiers are protected against thermal overload, short-circuit, back EMF and no-load operation as well as high-frequencies or DC at the output. Both outputs, here, are supervised independently so that, should a fault occur, only the channel affected is shut down. When the device is powered up, there is a delay before the power outputs are connected, to obviate the risk of noise.

The thermal stability of the PowerMate is assured by two very quiet fans the speed of which is continuously variable. The front-to-rear airflow allows the device to be used in large or small racks. Furthermore, the PowerMate is equipped with an intelligent thermo-limiter, so if ever the threat of overheating does arise, the clip limiter intervenes in a highly musical way, acting only upon the peaks. In this way, a total shutdown of the power amplifiers is effectively prevented, as is any obtrusive fall in the overall volume level. The PROTECT and LIMIT LEDs on the front panel indicate the current operating state of the power amplifiers.

To ensure safe transportation, the PowerMate 6003 is supplied with a solid plastic lid that is held in place simply and securely, without the need for any locking mechanism, by magnets.

Available as an optional accessory, the carrying bag BAG-600PM not only accommodates the PowerMate with its lid but also offers an additional compartment for cables etc.

For rack installation, the RMK-PM600-3 rack-mount kit is available as an option.

Channels (Mono + Stereo)