T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine

T1 

L1 Model II

T1® Fix T1 ToneMatch™ Audio Engine / Blue Screen Fix Downloads Fixes and Enhancements L1™ Model II Power Stand Firmware Updates - includes bug fixes T1 ToneMatch™ Audio Engine Firmware Updates - includes bug fixes Downloadable Presets for your T1® ToneMatch® Presets for the T1® T1™ and L1™ Firmware Announced March 29, 2007 T1 ToneMatch™ audio engine - Official Bose Page T1 ToneMatch® Presets (includes downloadable lists with cross-references to Version 2 presets). T1 ToneMatch® Presets (official version - opens in tiny window). T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine / FAQ T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine Interactive Display T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine Simulation This is an online simulator that lets you interact with all the controls on the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine

Documentation

L1™ Model II Documentation

Aux Output

Overview

The output of any of the Channels 1, 2, 3, 4/5 can be sent to the Aux out. You can take the Aux out to provide a separate mix for recording or running to another L1 or separate amplification system.

Tap points where you can set the output to the Aux.

• Dry: After Preamp: The completely dry (no processing) signal is routed directly from the preamp stage.
• Pre: With EQ & FX: The signal is routed from the preamp stage with applied processing.
• Post: After Fader: The signal is routed after the Channel volume control with applied processing.

Excerpt from the T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine Owner's Guide (62 pages)

T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine Service Manual

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Setting the Tap Point

Setting the Aux Output to

• Dry: After Preamp
• Pre: With EQ & FX
• Post: After Fader

Press to access Tap menu.

Select

• Dry: After Preamp
• Pre: With EQ & FX
• Post: After Fader (note that channel Volume and Mute button also affect Aux)

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No Reverb on Aux

Q: Why is there no Reverb on the Aux output of the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine?

A: Hilmar-at-Bose writes

The T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine has lots of different effects units and normally they are unique to each channel. That means that the T1^® has 4 individual dynamic processors, 4 modulators (chorus flanger, phaser, etc.) , 4 EQs, 4 delay processors, etc. The only exception is the reverb, which is shared by all channels.

The AUX is also a per-channel control. That means if you turn up the AUX of channel, you expect to hear signals from channel 1 and only from channel 1. However, the output of the reverb processor contains the reverb portions of all 4 channels. If we add that to the Aux, you'd hear the reverb portions of all 4 channels and not only the channel that you are interested in. In most cases, this is probably not what you want.

If you are familiar with conventional mixing consoles, you will find that the situation is quite similar. You can only route to an AUX output effects that are specific to a channel (normally these would be connected to the insert loop of this channel). The "shared" effects typically come into the board through an AUX return, which is not channel specific.

The discussion continues in the Message Board

Reference: page 52 of the T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine Owner's Guide (62 pages)

T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine Service Manual

Problem: Aux output does not sound right.

What To Do:

• Check if the Aux output is configured for the desired tap point for each input channel. Refer to “Routing input signals to the Aux output” on page 26.

Note: No reverb comes from the Aux output even if the tap point is Pre or Post.

• Verify that each input assigns the desired signal level to the Aux output.

Aux Out to a S1 Pro System

The Aux Out is balanced mono and suitable to connect to the S1 Pro System Channel 1 or 2.

For best results use a 1/4 inch (6 mm) Tip-Ring-Sleeve cable. A 1/4 inch (6 mm) Tip-Sleeve cable will have up to -6dB lower signal and be more susceptible to line noise.

Applicability

This article applies to connecting the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine Master Output or Aux Output to the S1 Pro System

Power for the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine

If your T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine is connected to an L1 Model 1S or L1 Model II, the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine will get power from the Power Stand. If it not, you will need a ToneMatch Power Supply to run the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine.

Cables

The T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine Analog Outputs and the S1 Pro System 1/4 inch (6.3 mm) inputs are balanced. For best results use a 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) Tip-Ring-Sleeve cable for a balanced connection. You can use a 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) Tip-Sleeve cable, but you will lose up to -6 dB in signal strength and you may pick up line noise.

On the S1 Pro System, for each channel you are connecting to the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine use these settings while you are setting up.

• Reverb OFF
• Bass at 12:00 o'clock
• Treble at 12:00 o'clock
• ToneMatch switch OFF

You can adjust the Reverb, Bass, and Treble after you get your basic sound working.

S1 Pro+

You can also connect to the Channel 3 Aux input. For best results, use a 1/4 inch (6.3 mm) Tip-Ring-Sleeve cable.

Gain Staging

Using a Bose device as the source

When connecting a ToneMatch Mixer or an S1 Pro System Line Out to an S1 Pro System channel 1 or channel 2

Set the volume control to 10:00 o'clock with 1/4 inch (6.3 mm) Tip-Ring-Sleeve

The signal strength from a ToneMatch Mixer or an S1 Pro System Line Out is sufficient to achieve the maximum usable volume from the S1 Pro System

Control the overall volume from the ToneMatch Mixer or the first S1 Pro System. If you use an XLR cable, set the volume control to 9:00 o'clock

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Using a third-party source (not a Bose device as the source)

For each channel you are using on the S1 Pro System

1. Turn the channel volume off
2. Connect your sound source
3. Adjust the volume of the source device output to the reference or nominal output level.
   • On analog consoles this may be marked as unity or 0 dB.
   • On digital consoles this may be marked as -18 dBFS. The exact value (-18 dBFS to -20 dBFS) may vary depending your location.
   • Refer to the manual for the source device for details.
   • If the source device does not have metering or indicators, set the output as high as you can without hearing distortion or seeing red indicator lights.
4. While playing/singing as loud as you will during your performance, bring up the channel volume until you see solid green on the channel indicator light. Occasional flickers of red are okay. If you see solid red or you hear distortion, turn down the volume.

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Combo Inputs

S1 Pro Channels 1 and 2 have combo inputs that accept

• XLR (balanced mono)
  • Microphone or Line-Level inputs
• 1/4 inch (6.3 mm) Tip-Ring-Sleeve connection (balanced mono)
  • Line-Level inputs
• 1/4 inch (6.3 mm) Tip-Sleeve connection (unbalanced mono)
  • Line-Level inputs and instruments (e.g. guitars, keyboards, guitar processors, loopers)

When using a third-party device (e.g., mixer or another line-level source) should I use the XLR or 1/4 inch inputs?

• The S1 Pro 1/4 inch Tip-Ring-Sleeve inputs are best suited for line-level balanced inputs. This is a better match for the signal level.
• The S1 Pro XLR inputs are best suited for microphones.

When the S1 Pro Channel input lights hit red or you hear distortion, the signal is clipping and you've reached the maximum usable volume. From the source, if the XLR outputs are line-level and the 1/4 inch Tip-Ring-Sleeve outputs are line-level, it won't matter which type of cable you use. They'll both get the job done, although the volume control setting will be lower with the XLR connection. That doesn't indicate more headroom. The maximum usable volume is the same either way.

Alternate Connection

You can use an XLR cable (mic cable) from a Line Level Source (e.g., L1 Pro, S1 Pro+) to S1 Pro or S1 Pro+ channels 1 or 2 (XLR inputs), but the signal may clip, overload, or be too high to control the volume. To attenuate (reduce) the signal, use a -20 dB or -30 dB Pad

XLR Cable

Pad

Click image for more information about Pads

Connecting a Mixer to an S1 Pro system

Article from Bose Connecting an S1 Pro to a mixer

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[[Category:S1}}

Aux Out to a separate System

Aux Out to Headphones

The Aux Out is balanced mono intended to be connected to the balanced input of another device at line-level. This may also work with headphones but the volume will be very low and likely not loud enough to be heard over live stage volume.

If you connect to a stereo input, the signals for Left and Right may cancel out. This might not be an issue for headphones as the Left and Right signals are not combined.

Aux Out to In-Ear-Monitors

The Aux Out is balanced mono intended to be connected to the balanced input of another device at line-level. This may also work with headphones but the volume will be very low and likely not loud enough to be heard over live stage volume.

If you use an In-Ear-Monitor system that has built-in amplification, this may work.

If you connect to a stereo input, the signals for Left and Right may cancel out. This might not be an issue for headphones as the Left and Right signals are not combined.

Input Directed to Aux Out Only

To direct an input exclusively to Aux see: T1 ToneMatch® Audio Engine / Aux to a Separate System

Effects

Overview from Hilmar-at-Bose

T1 

Rotary Control showing effects

Hilmar-at-Bose talks about the effects

There is a large variety of effect processors out there with many different types, qualities, and prices and unfortunately there isn't a one-size-fits approach. Not the least factor is that a lot depends on personal taste and preference.

Our intention with the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine was not necessarily to build the "world's best effects" but solid usable tools that the musician can deploy in a live situation as the situation requires. We've evaluated effect processors that are popular for live performance and used that to guide our own development. We've also tried to limit the complexity of the user interface, i.e. we provide only the most useful parameters for a certain effect and have pre-tuned the more esoteric ones.

This being said, the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine has a couple of things that are different from most effects processors: The processing power devoted to this is substantial. The processing chip we use operates in 32-bit floating point and has a peak performance of about 2 billion operations per second (2 GFlops). That is a lot more than can be found in typical processors of this type.

This enables us also to run individual effects on all 4 channels. You can use different combination of compressor/limiter, chorus/flanger, delay, parametric EQ, etc. on each channel. The only thing that is shared is reverb. This is equivalent of having pretty much 4 multi-effects processors at the same time. This enables the user to fine tune and tweak the effects settings for each individual instruments without having to compromise between channels.

There is also some fairly unique processing such as KickGate™ (for drums), zEQ and ToneMatch™, that is not available from any other device I'm aware of.

Again, in the end each user will have to decide whether we have found the "sweet spot" or not, but I'm confident that these effects will work well for many users.

Hope that helps

Hilmar

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Compressor

T1 

T4S

T8S

Using compressor/gate functions

The Comp/Gate function provides access to gate, compression, limiter, de-esser and kick drum presets with adjustable parameters. Note: To bypass the Comp/Gate settings, press the Type button. Press it again to activate.

1. Rotate the Type button to access the list of Comp/Gate effects and highlight your choice:

• Compressor 1: Light

Compressor featuring a preset low-compression ratio with variable threshold and gain parameters. Works well as a general-purpose compressor for most instruments and microphones that require minimal level control.

• Compressor 2: Medium

Compressor featuring a preset moderate compression ratio with variable threshold and gain parameters. Works well with basses, guitars, keyboards, and vocals requiring subtle level control.

• Compressor 3: Heavy

Compressor featuring a preset high compression ratio with variable threshold and gain parameters. Works well with loud instruments – like horns and drums, as well as strong vocals that require more aggressive level control.

• Limiter

Hard limiter featuring a preset ratio (8:1) with variable threshold and gain parameters. Works well with very loud instruments, such as drums, to prevent signal peaks from overloading the channel.

• De-Esser

Side-chained compressor featuring a preset compression ratio with variable threshold and gain parameters. Designed to reduce sibilance on vocals.

• Noise Gate

Noise gate with a fast preset attack time, variable threshold, and variable speed (release time). Well-suited for eliminating unwanted noise from microphones and instruments.

• KickGate 1: Regular

Gate featuring a preset attack time, and variable threshold and tightness (release time) parameters. This is a Bose® proprietary technology designed specifically for kick drums. This robust gate provides maximum gain before feedback, making your kick drum as loud as possible through an L1™ system.

• KickGate 2: Fast

Same as KickGate 1 – but adjusted for faster tempos. Select this setting if you are using a double bass drum pedal.

2. Press the Select button to select your choice, or press the Cancel button to exit the list with no change.

3. For Comp1-3, Limiter, De-Ess:

1. Rotate the Thresh button to adjust the input threshold (trigger) level from -50dB to 0dB.
2. Rotate the Gain button to adjust the gain from 0dB to 30.0dB. The gain bar above the button shows the amount of gain reduction. This display helps in setting the threshold.

For Gate:

1. Rotate the Thresh button to adjust the input threshold (trigger) level from -90dB to -30dB.
2. Rotate the Speed button to set the gate closing speed to any value from 0 (fastest) to 100% (slowest).

For Kick1-2:

1. Rotate the Thresh button to adjust the input threshold (trigger) level from -20dB to 0dB.

Nick-at-Bose talks about where to start

Question

What are the recommended compression settings for the tone match?

Right now I'm using medium compression but need understanding what threshold does.

Nick-at-Bose

This is a great question. I'll start out by saying compression is a huge topic and there isn't necessary a best setting, though there can definitely be wrong settings.

Sometimes, maybe often times, the best setting is Bypassed.

"Threshold" is a setting that is entirely dependent on the source material. A more negative number will result in more compression. The closer the Threshold number is to 0 (which is the top of the scale in digital terms), the less compression there will be.

The top meter on the screen shows how much gain reduction is occurring. Roughly, each hash mark is about 2 dB of reduction. (No metering would indicate no compression, which means the signal is below the Threshold setting.)

Here's where I would start:

• Use the Light Compression setting
• Leave the Gain at 3.0 dB
• Set the Threshold so that on the louder parts of the performance, the meter at the top of the screen is hitting between the 1st and 3rd hash marks (starting at the right side of the screen). This would then mean that for the softer and mid-volume parts, there may be no compression happening at all. That's perfectly fine and probably desired.

Source: Nick-at-Bose

MikeZ-at-Bose talks about the Compressor settings

MikeZ-at-Bose talks about the Compressor settings in the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine

Light is about 2:1, fast attack and release.

Medium is about 3.5:1, fast attack and release.

Heavy is about 6:1, fast attack and release.

All have 'soft knee' transitions.

Hope this is helpful. When tuning the compressors I relied much more by ear to determine the settings than by numerical values.

A couple of comments on the settings.

When doing general compression like is done in the T1, I found fairly fast attack and release times to be the most versatile. Slower times need more fine tuning and are more prone to artifacts when used heavily.

The threshold is the most important control on any compressor, in my opinion. Careful adjustment of this is super important. You need to make sure you are compressing the parts of the instrument that you want to compress (peaks, 20% of the time, 100% of the time etc.)

Can I use more than one compressor function

Question

Can you add more than one effect on a given channel under the "comp/gate" channel parameter on the rotary dial?

The is one compressor per channel, and it can do only one function at a time (compressor, limiter, noise gate, de-esser, kickgate). For most signal sources, this should not be a limitation as most of the applications where you would use these effects are mutually exclusive.

The other effects (Mod, Delay) and Reverb operate the same way. You can only choose one function within the family of the effect.

Related Reading

The Truth About Compressors and Limiters

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Detailed Listing

Please see Effects

Gain Staging

Bill-at-Bose talks about setting the gain on a T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine.

One difference in gain staging the T1 and the Classic is that the T1 has a three-stage trim LED. It lights up green when signal is present, yellow when you are getting pretty loud (8 to 10 dB of headroom left), and red when you dangerously close to or at full scale.

In a way, the yellow trim on the T1 is similar to how you treat the red on the Classic. Some yellow during peaks is good on the T1, just like some red on the Classic is good.

If the T1 trim is going red, you should back off, you are definitely nearing or in compression.

A really helpful feature on the T1 is to go to the Prefs/Output Level menu, and see where you are relative to maximum output.

Power Stand Input Setting

T1 

L1 Model I

Classic

When using the Classic or Model I The T1 has more input capability then the Model 1,s so you should be able to use the T1 as the only control for your system. We have a recommended trim setting for connecting the T1 to a Model 1 input Ch 3 or Ch 4

Note: New recommendation is 3 see below.

With this setting you will not distort or clip the Model 1 no matter what you do on the T1. You can even use the Model 1 without the remote.

The T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine controls are a heck of a lot faster then the R1 controls. There is no perceivable lag.

Input setting recommendation now 3

MikeZ-at-Bose wrote Bill-at-Bose and I have revisited this.

For these conditions:

• T1 going into model I/Classic into Ch 3/4
• balanced OR unbalanced 1/4" cable
• remote unplugged, OR, master volume on remote at 12 o clock
• proper gain staging required on the T1 itself

I'm going to revise the original recommendation of 2 for Ch 3/4 to 3 - under the above conditions.

This will give you the same gain going into the L1 Classic/model I as if you were going through the digital ethercon input on a model II.

If you are using the remote on your M1/CL, then you will need to compensate a bit. If you running the remote master volume at max, then stick with 2on Ch 3/4. I would recommend against running the master volume below 12 o'clock when using a T1.

Hopefully this is helpful - please ask away with any questions for clarification.

MikeZ

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Excerpt from the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine Manual - page 20 - Note: this recommended input setting is now 3. See the note above.

Connect 2 T1™s to a Model II

T1 ToneMatch™ Audio Engine / Connections to Model II

Preamps

Comparison to Model I and Classic

MikeZ-at-Bose tells us:

... (the preamps on the Model I are)... exactly the same as the Classic.

On the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine they're different, but are designed to the same standard as the L1 Classic preamps.

Functionally they are basically the same in terms of frequency response, input impedance, noise performance, max gains etc.

The difference comes in how we get there. I'll try not to go into horribly boring detail. The name of the game is trade offs, and in the end the design constraints dictate the *best* type of circuit used for *this* particular situation. Here are a couple of the many factors that dictate the differences:

Gain structure. The internal components of the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine are different that the L1 Model I / L1 Classic and need to have signals fed to them in certain ways. Different designs are more suited to the levels needed than others.

Physical layout of the circuit on the board. There are four channels in a tighter space in the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine. Again, certain designs lend themselves to be better at this than others.

After evaluating all of the factors that go into the design of a preamp we are using another proven circuit that relies more on discrete transistors rather than op-amps. It fits our needs better for this design situation. The preamp design itself is not necessarily any better or worse. There are *many* ways to skin the cat of preamp design to achieve a desired performance.

Will it sound different? No...I certainly cannot hear a difference playing through it. Can't measure one either.

Hope this sheds some light on it.

MikeZ

Preamps Out

image of T1™ rear pointing to Preamps out

The preamp outputs are before everything except the Trim control in the signal chain. - MikeZ-at-Bose. This means that these are post-trim, and nothing else (e.g. Muting) has any effect on the signal at the preamp outs.

Presets

• ToneMatch™ Presets for the T1™ (downloadable presets that are not installed at the factory)
• T1 ToneMatch™ Presets (includes downloadable lists with cross-references to Version 2 presets).

Tuner

T1 ToneMatch™ Audio Engine / Tuner

USB (Computer Interface)

T1 ToneMatch™ Audio Engine / USB

Cables

From T1 to Model II

Ken-at-Bose

The T1 ToneMatch™ audio engine comes with a really nice Pro Ethercon cable, with robust metal connector shells and an almost memoryless 18' black cable.

However, in a pinch, should you forget the cable, or if say a huge Hammond B3 gets dropped on the cable and severs it, YOU CAN USE ANY ORDINARY CAT 5 ETHERNET CABLE and it will work fine until you replace you nice fancy T1 cable.

Later in that discussion Hilmar-at-Bose tells us:

Any CAT5 (or CAT5e, CAT6, or CAT7) cable will work just fine without any degradation at least initially. The downsides are that most ethernet cables don't coil particularly well and that the connectors wear out over time. After a a few hundred uses you may notice the occasional drop out, at which point it's time to get a new one.

It's certainly a quick and cheap way to get a spare for an emergency.

Convert Cat-5 Cat-6 to Ethercon

NE8MC EtherCon® Cable Connector Carriers (retrofit over an existing RJ-45 Connector).

Example vendor http://www.fullcompass.com/product/255589.html

Cable Length

Up to 50 feet

A technical note from Bill-at-Bose

A 33 or 50 footer will not cause any problems, either with the digital audio (ones and zips) or the power.

The technical reason follows, for those who are interested : A 24 gauge wire (the size typically used in ethernet cables) has about 2.5 Ohms of resistance per 100 feet. The T1 draws roughly 1/4 Amp on each of two supply wire pairs (+/-18V nominal).

For a 50 foot run, each pair of wires (made up of a plus and minus lead) totals 100 feet. A quarter Amp of current across 2.5 Ohms gives, per Ohm's law, a voltage drop of less than one volt (V=IR = 0.625 Volts). Because of the margin we built into the system, it can handle this voltage drop easily.

In fact, although we don't recommend it and can't guarantee it, the digital audio has been tested up to 100 feet in average conditions (for example, no undervoltage on the AC supply at the gig), and quite happily continued to make music.

Over 50 feet

MikeZ-at-Bose added in a later discussion:

Bill at Bose stated you could run 50' of ethernet cable no problem at all. Success at distances longer than that would start to depend on outside factors, for instance the voltage of your power source.

Another option for you is to run the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine off of the optional power supply, and then run a balanced line from the Master Out on the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine to the balanced 'analog input' on the L1 Model II. This method would be able to transmit over a hundred feet, perhaps much more.

Optional AC Power Adaptor

5 foot of cord from the T1 to the switching power supply, and a removable 6 foot cord from the power supply to the wall. This is very similar to a laptop power supply.

Display Panel

Outdoors

Q: Please talk about using the T1 ToneMatch Audio Engine outdoors. Will I be able to see /read the display? A: Should be no problem. The LCD display on the T1 is "transflexive". In dark conditions the blue backlight will shine through the "transmissible" part so everything is easily visible. In bright sunlight, it becomes "reflexive" just like a piece of paper. The backlight may wash out (i.e. it will not look really blue anymore) but it's still clearly visible.

Design of Visual Components

Quoting Ken-at-Bose

In 23 years at Bose, the L1™ model II and T1 ToneMatch™ audio engine are the most lovingly designed products I have ever had the fortune to work on. More care by more experienced people went into this than anything I've been involved in.

The most minute details were studiously created. As one tiny but important example, a propriety light pipe was designed so that the light from volume knob indicators smoothly wrapped around the knob from top to side, giving the musician a clear indication of volume from any angle. The color and intensity of the light was carefully designed so that it was visible in an extraordinarily wide range of stage lighting conditions.

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