PRODUCT MANUAL

M E RID IA N M IC ROPH ON E F OR M A N D OL IN
Thank you for purchasing the K&K Meridian Microphone! This manual covers installation and use for theMeridian and Meridian Pro Microphone systems for mandolin.

ATTACHING THE CLAMP AND
MICROPHONE
Your Meridian Microphone comes with a specialty
mandolin clamp, designed to fit any A- and F-stylemandolin with body depth between 1.75" - 2.25"(44mm to 57mm). Smaller and wider clamps areavailable by special order.
Attach the microphone clamp in a position asshown in the photo. It can be tightened by the twobarrel screws.
We recommend that you first hand-tighten thebarrel screws and then use a small Allen wrench(or similar object) in one of the holes in the barrels
and fully tighten the screws so that the clamp fitssnugly on the instrument.
The mic is attached to the clamp by the black
plastic clip.

92798 Cape Arago Hwy, Coos Bay, OR 97420 | 541-888-3517 | Toll Free 1-800-867-6863 | www.kksound.com

2REMOVAL AND TRANSPORTATION
For transport, you can take the mic off the plastic
clip and leave the clamp installed on the mandolin.
We sell the clamp individually. For a quick change
from one instrument to another leave the clamp on
the mandolin and buy another clamp or yoursecond instrument. You can easily remove/snap-on
the microphone itself with the little clip on theclamp.

MERIDIAN PRO PREAMP
The Meridian Pro Preamp handcrafted at the K&K
facility in Oregon/USA to extremely low noise
specifications with excellent clarity and warm EQ. It
is optimized for the use with the MeridianMicrophone.
Plug the mic in the INPUT and connect the LINE orXLR OUTPUT (or both) to an amp or PA system.

Please slide the supplied protective tubing over thewindscreen before you put your mic into the box.
This protects the windscreen foam and ensures it
holds its shape.
If you are using the microphone and clamp on
multiple mandolins, please follow the complete
installation instructions for each separate
instrument to ensure that the clamp fits tightly andprecisely.

MERIDIAN PREAMPYour Meridian Preamp comes factory-preset withthe mid-frequency control system fully activated,which means the midrange is cut by 16dB. We findthis setting to sound very elegant and “studio like”.
You can adjust this control with a small precision
screwdriver. Turn it clockwise to increase
midrange.
Connect the microphone to the Mic In and use an
XLR microphone cable to connect the preamp’s
OUT to an XLR input of a PA or amp. The preamp
works on phantom power via the XLR output, orwith a suitable 12 volt DC power supply (100mA,DC connector center plus).
Start with both- bass and treble EQ on your amp/PA
turned all the way down. Then add frequencies toyour liking.
If you experience a phase problem, we offer an
inexpensive XLR Phase Reverse adapter thatreverses pin 2 and 3 of the XLR cable, a simple andeffective fix. Please call K&K to order. TheMeridian Pro Preamp is also equipped with a phaseswitch to solve this problem.

The Meridian Pro Preamp operates on industry
standard Phantom Power or one 9-volt battery. We
recommend having a 9-volt battery installed in theunit at all times. Phantom power drops down
considerably under load. If several phantom power
consumers are connected to a mixing board, thepower may drop down below a sufficient supply
voltage for the Meridian Pro Preamp. The battery
will be activated only in case the phantom power
gets too low but it will not be discharged as long as
Phantom Power is higher that the battery voltage.
The LED light on the front-panel indicates if
phantom power is present. In order to save battery
it will not light when the unit works on battery
power only.

Always turn the volume on the PA or amp channel
OFF before you plug the XLR cable in/out thepreamp or the mixing board/amp. If you don’t, theloud crack in combination with a phantom power
spike might damage the preamp’s op-amp!
CHANGING THE BATTERY
To insert and change the battery, open the 2 screws
on the sides of the unit, remove the lid, connect afresh 9 volt battery to the battery clip and place it inthe marked compartment.

92798 Cape Arago Hwy, Coos Bay, OR 97420 | 541-888-3517 | Toll Free 1-800-867-6863 | www.kksound.com

3

The unit is delivered without a battery.

ALWAYS UNPLUG THE INPUT CABLE IN ORDERTO SWICH OFF THE BATTERY when the unit is notin use!
ADJUSTING THE SOUND WITH THE PREAMP
We recommend to start with all EQ controls turned
down all the way and add frequencies to yourliking. Then listen to the two phase switch settingsto get the best tone and the lowest feedback. But
first, please read the following paragraphs:
ADJUSTABLE GAIN CONTROL
Gain and volume do both have an effect on theoutput volume of the preamp but they accomplish
different tasks.
The gain (also called input gain or sensitivity
control) controls the input signal level in the circuitin the preamp. It sets the amount of preamplification before the signal enters the EQ
section etc.
The volume control on the other hand is located at
the end of the circuit and simply allows lowering or
shutting down the volume.
It is very important to properly set the gain control
to fit the instrument you are using. An instrumentwith a high volume will require less gain than one
that is not as loud. Also a player who strums hard
will have to set the gain lower than one who picks
the strings very lightly.
To set the gain correctly, you have to mount andconnect your mic to the mandolin and plug it intothe Meridian Pro Preamp. Connect it to youramplification system and set the channel to a low
volume setting for a start.
Begin with the gain on the preamp at about 12o’clock center setting. The volume control on theMeridian Pro Preamp should be set to fully
clockwise.
Play your instrument in your loudest dynamic
range (play it as hard as you expect to play) andslowly turn the gain up until distortion just occurs.
Now back the gain off a little bit until the signal isclear again. This is the correct gain setting for this
instrument.

With the Meridian Microphone the gain will most
likely end up somewhere between “half” and“full”.
Please keep in mind that excessive EQ boost
applied after the initial gain setting procedure may
introduce distortion, in this case you have to reduce
the gain a little bit.
PHASE SWITCH
Phase switches are usually marketed as a feedback
controlling device, but they accomplish more thanjust that.
What is phase? Phase determines at what point intime a sound wave has it’s peak or trough.
This picture shows 2 simple (identical) sinewaves, but the wave on the bottom (2) isinverted in respect to the wave on top (1).
Interestingly, if these two waves wereplayed back simultaneously, they would
completely cancel each other out and nosound would be heard.
Amplification systems and effect units may or may
not invert the phase in respect to the signal which
is send in. In most cases the manufacturers do notspecify.
Every acoustic instrument projects (acoustic) soundwaves in a certain phase. The phase that isprojected from the amplified speaker source shouldbe "in phase" (not inverted) with the acoustic
instrument's own sound waves or the result will not
be optimal. If the amp projects the inverted phase,the acoustic instrument will fight its own amplified
sound and no balanced tone can develop. Roundand warm tone is only achieved when acoustic andamplified sound oscillate in the same phase. TheMeridian Pro Preamp’s phase switch allows for
instant correction of this problem.
Play your instrument and flip the phase switch backand forth. You will experience a fuller and warmer
tone one way or the other.
OUTPUTS
The active DI XLR output and the line output can beused simultaneously. Like this the 1/4" line out canconveniently be used as a monitor out or forconnection to a tuner while the unit is connected tothe PA via the XLR out. You can of course use each
output individually.

92798 Cape Arago Hwy, Coos Bay, OR 97420 | 541-888-3517 | Toll Free 1-800-867-6863 | www.kksound.com

4The Meridian Mic can also be used with the K&K
Quantum Blender. The microphone itself does notwork on 48V phantom power! It is powered with 5
volts by the preamp.

Treble control: +/- 20 dB – 10K
Power requirements: 12-48 Volt phantom power or
9 volt battery
Polar Pattern

TECHNICAL INFORMATIONMERIDIAN MICROPHONE
Frequency Range: 30 - 18,000 Hz
Sensitivity: 7 mV/PA/1 kHz
Maximum SPL: 142dB
Polar Pattern: Unidirectional
Mic Power requirement: 5 Volt DC (supplied byMeridian preamp or K&K Quantum Blender)
Cable 8 feet
Technical Information Meridian Microphone
Preamp
Input: ¼ mono with 5-volt DC lavalier mic power
supplyOutput: XLR active balancedMidrange control: +/-20 dB - super wide band Q
Power requirements: 12-48 Volt phantom power or
12 volt DC 100mA

MERIDIAN PREAMP
Input: 1/4" mono with 5-volt DC lavalier mic power
supplyOutput: XLR active balanced
Midrange control: +/-20 dB - super wide band Q
Power requirements: 12-48 Volt phantom power or
12 volt DC 100mA

MERIDIAN PRO PREAMP
Input: ¼ mono with 5 volt DC lavalier mic power
supplyOutput 1: XLR active balanced – 8K Ohm
Output 2: Line – 100 Ohm
Bass control: +/- 20 dB - 100 Hz high pass
Midrange control: +/-20 dB–1.5K super wide band Q

Frequency response curve - Microphone

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING PHANTOM
POWER
The Meridian preamp works on 12-48 volt phantom
power or on 12VDC power via a suitable power
supply like the one we sell for this microphonesystem.
Phantom power is unfortunately not 100%standardized and differs in respect to how clean
and hum-free it is. “Dirty” phantom power may
introduce a more or less noticeable hum into thesignal and when connected to preamp devices, thepreamp circuit naturally amplifies this noise. Insituations you need studio quality noise
specifications we recommend to power theMeridian preamp with its designated 12VDC power
supply and switch the phantom power supply off.
This will guarantee noise free operation.

92798 Cape Arago Hwy, Coos Bay, OR 97420 | 541-888-3517 | Toll Free 1-800-867-6863 | www.kksound.com