User Manual

THE MAIN MIXER
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Dynamics section
Each channel strip has a powerful dynamics section featuring compression/limiting and gating/expansion. The upper
part of the section (with a white background) is the compressor/limiter, and the lower part (gray background) is the
gate/expander. The compressor and gate processing can be independently switched in or out of the circuit.
Compressor/Limiter
Compressors basically reduce dynamic range, by evening out the difference between loud and quiet signals. This
makes signal levels easier to balance, and can add punch and sustain to the sound.
The Main Mixer’s compressor/limiter is a flexible processor which has soft-knee (a gradual, smooth onset of com-
pression) characteristics but can be switched to peak limiting where levels above the set threshold are instantly re-
duced. The compressor also features automatic make-up gain.
The parameters are as follows:
|
Parameter
|
Description
Comp “ON” button Activates/deactivates the compressor.
RATIO Sets the amount of gain reduction applied to the signal above the set Threshold. The Ratio can be set from 1:1 (no
reduction) to Infinite:1.
PEAK button When activated this changes the signal detection from RMS to Peak, which results in an instant attack time. Peak
mode is suitable for compression of sounds with fast attacks like drums.
THRES (Threshold) This sets the level at which onset of compression occurs. Signals below the Threshold setting are unaffected, but
when the level exceeds the threshold, compression kicks in.
Range: -52 dB to 0 dB
Automatic make-up gain (based on the Ratio and Threshold settings) is applied to compensate for level reduction
caused by compression and maintain a steady output level.
REL (Release) Release determines the time it takes before the compressor lets the sound through unaffected after the signal
level drops below the set threshold. Set this to short values for “pumping” compressor effects, or to longer values
for a smoother change of the dynamics. Range: 100ms to 1000ms.
FAST button Attack - the time it takes for the compressor to react when signals rise above the set threshold level. If the FAST
button is activated the attack will be fixed at 3ms for 20 dB gain reduction.
Meter The right LED meter shows the gain reduction applied by the compressor.