AEA RPQ3, Owner'S Manual

Page: 12 / 16

12
SETTING THE GAIN
The RPQ3’s minimalist JFET circuit design delivers up to 85 dB of
clean, quiet gain. With extended bandwidth from below 10 Hz to
beyond 200 kHz, it delivers effortless dynamic range and transient
response that complements all microphones.
As with any piece of audio equipment, setting and maintaining
proper signal levels is critical to obtaining optimum performance. If
the level is set too low, noise performance is sacrificed; if the level is
too high, there’s a risk of overload distortion.
Setting the AEA RPQ3 gain begins by setting the first stage GAIN
and second stage OUTPUT knobs fully counterclockwise. The first
stage GAIN control has 12 precision steps from +7 dB to +65 dB.
The second stage OUTPUT potentiometer knob when all the way
down (counterclockwise) adds no gain, and all the way up adds +20
dB. The three LEDs: green, yellow and red (ref. #14) snap on at -20,
0, and +20 dBu to indicate signal activity.
First Stage GAIN Control Adjustment
Connect the microphone and then, if needed, turn on phantom
power. Have the performer(s) play a louder section and click up the
GAIN (ref. #2) until the yellow LED usually lights and the red LED
rarely lights.
Second Stage OUTPUT Gain Trim
The OUTPUT Control (ref. #4) potentiometer adjusts gain from 0 dB
(unity gain) at the bottom to +20 dB gain when fully turned up. Like
the 12-step GAIN control, the 0 dB and +20 dB OUTPUT positions
are accurate and repeatable. Approximate OUTPUT gain at 9, 12,
and 3 o’clock are +3 dB, +7 dB, and +17 dB. The red LED lights 7 dB
before clipping with a balanced load, so listen carefully to see how it
sounds when the red LED lights up more often.
We actively encourage users to visit AEAribbonmics.com to
access our comprehensive collection of in-depth articles and
tutorials featuring AEA pr oducts , along with a library of
audio and video demonstrations of the pr oducts in action.