Nive Grad#

Stereo/dual-mono level shifter

Overview#

Nive Grad is a level shifter designed for simplicity. Two Eurorack signals can be attenuated down to pedal and line levels, and two external line or pedal signals can be amplified up to Eurorack level. Integrating a drum machine, external synth, effects processor, or guitar with your Eurorack system has never been easier!

Nive Grad uses ⅛” jacks to save HP. If you want to use ¼” gear with your system, ask your modular supplier about mono/TS ⅛” to ¼” adapters or adapter cables.

Nive Grad pairs well with our Xer Mixa system mixer, but can be used in any Eurorack system.

• Type: Universal drum synthesizer
• Size: Level Shifter
• Depth: .9 inches
• Power: 2x5 Eurorack
• +12 V: 25 mA
• -12 V: 25 mA
• 5 V: 0mA

Nive - level - from Latin niveum

Grad - step or degree- from Latin Gradus

Level step

Power#

To power your Noise Engineering module, turn off your case. Plug one end of your ribbon cable into your power board so that the red stripe on the ribbon cable is aligned to the side that says -12 V and each pin on the power header is plugged into the connector on the ribbon. Make sure no pins are overhanging the connector! If they are, unplug it and realign.

Line up the red stripe on the ribbon cable so that it matches the white stripe and/or -12 V indication on the board and plug in the connector.

Screw your module into your case before powering on the module. You risk bumping the module's PCB against something metallic and damaging it if it's not properly secured when powered on.

You should be good to go if you followed these instructions. Now go make some noise!

A final note. Some modules have other headers -- they may have a different number of pins or may say "not power". In general, unless a manual tells you otherwise, do not connect those to power.

Interface#

Input (top)

Inputs to the + outputs.

+12dB out

Takes the input from the Input (top) jack and adds 12dB of gain. Useful for bringing line-level devices up to Eurorack levels.

+24dB out

Takes the input from the Input (top) jack and adds 24dB of gain. Useful for bringing guitars and pedals up to Eurorack levels.

Input (bottom)

Inputs to the - outputs.

-12dB out

Takes the input from the Input (bottom) jack and removes 12dB of gain. Useful for bringing Eurorack signals down to line level.

-24dB out

Takes the input from the Input (bottom) jack and removes 24dB of gain. Useful for bringing Eurorack signals down to guitar/pedal level.

Patches#

Pedal FX loop

Patch an adapter cable from the -24dB out jack to the input on your pedal. Patch the output of your pedal to the top Input jack. Patch a sound you want to process from your Eurorack system to the bottom Input jack, and the processed signal will come out of the +24dB out jack.

For stereo processing, repeat the process with the other pair of ins and outs on Nive Grad.

For use with line-level processors, use the -12dB and +12dB jacks instead.

This patch works especially well as an aux send on a mixer like Xer Mixa.

Bring up a guitar

Patch an adapter cable from your guitar to the top Input jack on Nive Grad. The +24dB out jack will bring it up to modular levels; patch it out to your desired destination and rock on.

Drum machines and synths

Patch the output of your drum machine or synth to the top Input jack. Patch the +12dB out jack to the desired destination in your patch.

Line output

Patch the main output(s) of your patch to the bottom Input jacks. The -12dB out jack will output at line level.

Input and output voltages and impedances#

The top section of Nive Grad will clip when an output reaches about 20 V peak to peak.

The top section has an input impedance of 1M, and an output impedance of 100R.

The maximum input for the +12dB out would be about 5 V peak to peak, and for the +24dB out about 1.3V peak to peak.

The bottom section will clip when the input reaches about 20 V peak to peak.

The bottom section has an input impedance of 40K, and an output impedance of 100R.

A 20 V peak-to-peak signal would give an output of about 5 V at the -12dB out and about 1.3 V at the -24dB out.

Genesis & design notes#

Nive Grad was designed after we released our system mixer, Xer Mixa. A number of folks asked for an easy way to integrate their other studio gear with Xer Mixa, and so we got to thinking.

Initially, we considered more complicated designs with variable gain and adjustable settings, but some testing revealed that there was a relatively small number of settings that worked for a majority of external gear. This allowed us to come up with the fixed-level design you see now, reducing costs and making it quite simple to use.

After some tweaking, experimentation, and a surprisingly short development cycle (the original prototype was created in less than a day!), Nive Grad was finished. We hope you enjoy bringing all your external gear into your Eurorack system.

Warranty#

We will repair or replace (at our discretion) any product that we manufactured as long as we are in business and are able to get the parts to do so. We aim to support modules that have been discontinued for as long as possible. This warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear, including art/panel wear, or any products that have been modified, abused, or misused. Our warranty is limited to manufacturing defects.

Warranty repairs/replacements are free. Repairs due to user modification or other damage are charged at an affordable rate. Customers are responsible for the cost of shipping to Noise Engineering for repair.

All returns must be coordinated through Noise Engineering; returns without a Return Authorization will be refused and returned to sender.

Please contact us if you think one of your modules needs a repair.

Special thanks#

• Everyone who asked for this module!