7
ANALOG DESIGN
GETTING STARTED
WHAT SETTING SHOULD I START WITH?
When setting up the HG-2, start with a neutral setting that closely matches the
original signal. To match, use the bypass to switch back and forth as you make
adjustments.
Pentode: 12 o’clock
Triode: 10-11 o’clock
Output: Adjust until levels match when bypassed
Parallel sat circuit: Off
Air: Off
NEUTRAL SETTING*
* It’s important to remember that the HG-2 is designed to saturate, so how
hard you drive into it affects the settings. The above settings will be neutral
for the vast majority of unmastered mixes. If your track is extremely hot or
low in volume, adjust the signal feeding the input of the HG-2.
Adjusting the Pentode and Triode
From the neutral setting, begin by increasing the Pentode gain. This will
increase the Pentode harmonics and eventually begin gentle saturation. As
you turn the Pentode up, turn the Triode down to compensate. Now go back to
the neutral setting and turn the Pentode up again but this time, use the output
attenuation to compensate. Notice the difference in response.
Starting again from the neutral position, increase the triode gain, using
the output volume to compensate for the volume difference. Continue to
experiment with driving both the Pentode and Triode in different amounts until
you find a setting you like.
Adding the parallel saturation circuit
Once you have a Pentode and Triode setting you like and your output level peak
matched, make sure the “Saturation” knob is all the way down and the “Sat.
Freq.” switch is in the “flat” position, then engage the parallel saturation circuit
via the “in/out” switch. Slowly turn the knob clockwise to mix in more of the
saturated signal and keep watching your peak meters. You will notice that how
much increase in peak or RMS levels you achieve is dependant on the settings
of the Pentode and Triode. If the Pentode and Triode are in a very “clean”
setting, the parallel saturation circuit will add both peak and RMS. If the
main path is already in saturation, the parallel saturation circuit will further
saturate the signal, resulting in higher RMS without much peak gain.