R1 Remote

R1 Remote

These are tips for living with the R1 Remote Control Unit

Packing It

Ken-at-Bose says

Don't put the Remote Control in the outside pocket of the Power Stand gig bag. It'll get hit during transportion.

The gig bag for the upper half of the Cylindrical Radiator(tm) speaker is designed to leave room for the Remote alongside the bayonet; this is a good protected area.

Stiff Controls

If the knobs get stiff, you can pull them out a bit. Chances are they've just gotten jammed down during packing.

Is it Required

If you power up the System without the Remote Connected, the PowerStand operates as though the Remote is connected with all controls straight-up (12 o'clock) position.

The PS1 power stand continuously senses activity at all preset selectors and what is connected at the input/output jacks. In general, it is not recommended to operate without the remote connected. The PS1 power stand can however function without the R1 remote control. If you power the PS1 power stand on without the R1 remote control connected, it will operate as if the R1 remote control was connected and at a fixed setting of 12 o'clock (center position) on all the control knobs. Alternatively, if the unit is powered on with the R1 remote control first connected and the user then disconnects the R1 remote control, it will retain the last settings of the R1 remote control before you disconnected it. This is helpful in the case where sharing may be necessary. Source: Official Bose FAQ

Stiff Controls

If the knobs get stiff, you can pull them out a bit. Chances are they've just gotten jammed down during packing.

What do the LEDs on mean?

There are two LEDs on the R1, one for Channel 1 and one for Channel 2.

The LEDs indicate the amount of level in Channel 1 and 2. They are INDEPENDENT of the setting of the Master Volume control a the bottom of the R1.

The LEDs turn from off to green when there's more than a little bit of signal in the channel.

The turn from green to red when either of two conditions occur:

1) The signal has exceeded the threshold on the input circuit (or preamp) for Channels 1 and 2. This does NOT indicate clipping or distortion. It indicates that the safe threshold has been reached and so long as the LED is only flickering red, there is still a safe amount of headroom.

2) The threshold on the output of the channel has been exceeded. Again, this does NOT indicate clipping or distortion. It indicates that the safe threshold has been reached. So long as the LED is only flickering red, there is still a safe amount of headroom.

Note that when the Channel Volume Control is set at 12:00 o'clock (6 in the 1-12 values printed on the control) the LEDs mirror the LEDs found on the PS1 power stand next to Channel 1 and 2 input. (Exception: you are using the insert loop on either channel.)

What to do if the Channel LED (either 1 or 2) is staying mostly RED:

Turn down the Channel Volume Control.

a) If the RED persists, you know that the level is too high on the channel input. Turn down the trim control on the PS1 power stand for the appropriate channel (1 or 2). Bring the Channel Volume back to its original position.

b) If the RED stops, you know that the level is too hihg on the channel output. Return the Channel Volume control to a lower level.

Two R1 Remotes for One PS1 Powerstand

Can I have more than one R1 Remote connected to a single PS1 Powerstand?

No - Please don't try to connect more than one Remote to a Power Stand (or more than One Power Stand to a Remote) Daisy Chain Remotes?

One R1 Remote for Two PS1 Powerstands

There are two connections on the R1 Remote. Can I connect two PS1 Powerstands and control them simultaneously?

No.

Vocals on the Left

I always wire up the PowerStand so that the vocals are in Channel 1. This just means that it's always the same, easy to describe, and one less thing to wonder about. (exception below)

Two Players

If you've got two players sharing a System, and hence the Remote, take a moment to wire things up so that the Channel strip that affects someone's sound is closest to them.

Leave 'em Hanging - (not)

Here's an idea for a bracket you can mount on the mic stand. Sure, the velcro is fine but ...

Musicians Friend link to bracket

See: Bracket for the Remote

Zipper Sounds, Latency

Hilmar-at-Bose

...there are two design related issues that come into play here. The reason why nearly nobody knows about is, is that rarely ever anyone notices it.

1) The remote has a certain amount of latency. It takes a moment from the time you turn a knob until the setting actually takes effect. The exact time depends on the circumstances, but it's always less than one tenth of a second which is indeed barely (if at all) noticable.

2) The Channel 1 and 2 Volume controls produce a very slight "zipper" noise when they change between different volume setting. That noise does not affect the tone controls or the master volume. The technical reasons for that are complicated, but I'm happy to explain it, if someone is interested. Anyway, the "zipper" noise only occurs when you actually operate the control, so it doesn't occur while playing unless you play and adjust at the same time. If you need to do that (e.g. for a fade-out) and the zipper is audible and objectionable, you could maybe use the volume control on your instrument or the master volume on the remote.

Again, most people never notice these issues in the first place and if they do, it's rarely a problem of any sort.

Muting

Channel 1 and 2 Controls on the Remote don't mute the channels.

Quoting Hilmar-at-Bose

The channel volume controls have about 40 dB gain from all-the-way-down to all-the-way-up but don't completely mute the sound.

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