dbx 1066, Operation Manual

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®
Front Panel
Stereo Link Switch - This switch changes the 1066 from two independent compressors into a stereo
compressor. In stereo mode, Channel 1 is the master and Channel 2 is the slave. Each of the Channel 2
controls and switch functions will be overriden and controlled by the Channel 1 controls and switches,
except the Sidechain Monitor, Sidechain Enable, Contour, and Bypass switches. Also, Channel 2’s
Expander/Gate, Compressor Threshold, and PeakStopPlus™ Threshold meters will be disabled, while
both channels’ Gain Reduction meters will identically indicate the amount of gain reduction occurring. It
is important to note that while Channel 1 is the master as far as the controls go, both channels have
equal precedence as far as signal processing is concerned. The dbx 1066 uses True RMS Power
Summing™, an extremely accurate and musical way to combine detector outputs in a stereo situation.
The switch will light to indicate that the 1066 is in the Stereo Link mode.
Expander/Gate Threshold Control - This control sets the level below which gating/expansion occurs.
It has an effective control range of -60 dB to +15 dB. When it is fully counter clockwise to the “off” posi-
tion, no gating or expansion occurs.
Expander/Gate Threshold Below (-) LED - This LED illuminates when the signal is below the level set
by the EXPANDER/GATE THRESHOLD control and indicates that expansion or gating is occurring.
Expander/Gate Threshold Above (+) LED - This LED illuminates when the signal is above the level set
by the EXPANDER/GATE THRESHOLD control and indicates that no expansion or gating is occurring.
Expander/Gate Ratio Control - This control sets the expansion ratio and varies from 1:1 to 8:1. It is
important to note that as the signal passes below the threshold, the input/output gain relationship does
not transition sharply form unity gain (where no expansion is occurring) to the ratio set by the
EXPANDER RATIO control. The 1066’s expander utilizes a soft-knee OverEasy® threshold circuit analo-
gous to the OverEasy® compressor curve made famous by the 1066’s predecessors and employed in
the compressor section of the 1066. See Figure 1. This soft knee contributes to the smooth and natural
sounding decay of the 1066 expander making its action virtually transparent with low to moderate ratio
settings. When hard gating is required, higher ratio settings cause the expander to function like a gate.
The expander attack and release times are program-dependent. The detector intelligently senses the
need for fast attack for rapidly-changing signals, and slows down for more stable signals.
CHANNEL TWO
Stereo
Couple
EXPANDER / GATE LIMITER COMPRESSOR
GAIN REDUCTION dB INPUT / OUTPUT LEVEL dBu THRESHOLD THRESHOLD THRESHOLD
SC Enable
SC Mon
OverEasy
Contour Auto I/O Meter Bypass
-24 -18 -12 -6 0 +6 +12 +18
-
+ +
24 21 27 30 18 15 12 9 6 4 2 1
-
O
+
THRESHOLD RATIO OUTPUT GAIN THRESHOLD ATTACK RATIO RELEASE
-40
-20
+15
0
OFF
-60
dBu
2:1
4:1
3:1
1.2:1 8:1
1.4:1
1.6:1
0
-20
-10 +10
+20
dB
.35
3
1 .15
.04
dB/mSec
4:1
:1
10:1
6:1
1:1
2:1
3:1
OFF
+16
+12
+4
+6
+8
dBu
+16
-10
0
+20
+10
-40
-30
-20
dBu
50
250
125 12.5
5
dB/Sec
PeakStopPlus
Operating Controls
4
operating controls