Specifications

CX335 Technical Manual Page 7
Introduction
The Cloud CX335 Stereo Compressor Limiter has been designed to provide all the
functional needs of the system installation engineer with a desire to perform signal
levelling and overload protection. The unit can be applied equally to any discotheque or
live installation as well as in the recording studio and mastering facility.
Historically, it has often been impossible to establish what time constants are to be
applied to a compressors's attack and release envelope when the signal dynamics are an
unknown quantity. The CX335 has intelligent 'Programme Dependant' circuitry which
makes the need for attack and release controls totally redundant. Other features include
the options of hard-knee or soft-knee characteristics, a fully controllable 'Instant-attack'
Peak Limiter, accurate and informative metering, and remote control of the compressor
side chain.
The CX335 may be used in either balanced or unbalanced systems with no internal re-
configuring.
Because the CX335 compressor offers a choice of traditional hard-knee, ratio style
compression or soft-knee compression, it is equally adept at creative work and
unobtrusive level control. With high ratio settings the compressor can perform the
functions of an intelligent programme-dependent limiter.
The control layout is simple and logical. For reasons that will become evident, the unit is
graduated assuming that of a hard-knee ratio style compressor, although the default (and
suggested) mode of operation is soft-knee where the transition from unity gain to gain
reduction at the selected ratio is progressive and occurs over a nominal 10dB input level
range. In other words, in soft-knee mode with high ratios, the unit will blend from gentle
compression up to hard limiting with no additional front panel adjustment.
Soft-knee compressors are often chosen in applications that call for less conspicuous
level control whereas ratio type hard knee compressors are generally considered more
successful where large amounts of gain reduction are required. By offering both
alternatives, the CX335 is capable of outstanding results in a very wide range of
discotheque, studio and live sound situations.
Compressors are often accused of dulling the sound being processed, and a little
explanation is needed to understand exactly why that is. What happens is that bass or
low frequency sounds, which contain most of the energy in a typical piece of music,
cause a normal compressor to apply gain reduction, and so any quieter, high frequency
sounds occurring at the same time as the bass sound will also be turned down in level.
This is why the cymbals and hi-hats in a heavily compressed track seem to dip in level
whenever a loud bass drum or snare drum beat occurs. The 'intelligent' side-chain of the
CX335 will attempt to overcome this by sensing the input frequency of the signal and
adjusting itself accordingly.
A feature of the CX335 is a highly effective peak limiter which allows the user to set an
absolute output level that can never be exceeded. This facility is extremely valuable for
speaker driver protection. With correct Threshold and Ratio adjustments the compressor
section can be set to act as a primary level controller with the Peak Limiter set above this
to perform secondary security.