Dan Dugan Sound Design E-2A, User Manual

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Dugan Model E-2A User Guide Theory of the Speech and Music Systems
13
Dugan Music System
Music System
The Music System is a soft-gating ducking system with its threshold set by an audio
signal, typically from a mic measuring the ambient sound level. Each channel has a
2:1 expansion ratio below the floating threshold.
The Music System can also be used to duck an audience mix when the people on
stage talk, attenuating the sound of the PA in the room. Use an aux send of the stage
vocal mix to supply the threshold signal instead of a mic.
Figure 2-3
shows how the Music System works with three background vocalists.
Figure 2-3 The Dugan Music System; the bottom row represents the automixer’s virtual faders.
• No one singing : The system keeps all channels at a low gain.
• One person singing : The system fades their gain to full, while the other two inputs
stay low.
• A different person singing : The system fades their gain to full, while the previous
singer’s mic fades down, and the other input stays low.
• Two people singing : The system gives their channels full gain, while the other
input stays low.
Unlike the Speech System, there is no interaction between inputs, so the artistic
mix is preserved.
70
60
50
40
Sound
at mics
(dBSPL)
0
-10
-20
-30
Resulting
automix
gains (dB)
No one singing Mic 2 singing Mic 3 singing Mics 2 & 3 singing
Music System !
Threshold Input
Threshold !
follows !
audio level
Depth set to !
-15 dB