There is no absolute
right
way to set the ATTACK and RELEASE controls. However, in general,
you will want them set slow enough to avoid pumping or breathing sounds caused when
background sounds are audibly modulated by the dominant signal energy, yet the release must
be fast enough to avoid suppression of the desired signal after a sudden transient or loud note
has decayed. For low frequency tones (e.g., bass guitar), try setting ATTACK and RELEASE
slightly to the right of center.
Note: ATTACK and RELEASE controls operate together and in conjunction with the RATIO control as far as how
they affect the sound. Changing one control may necessitate changing another setting.
OUTPUT GAIN CONTROL:
This control sets the output gain of the compressor. Use this control to compensate for signal
level loss due to compression and to adjust the nominal output level of the unit.The 44dB
control range allows the nominal output level of the MC6 to match a wide variety of equip-
ment levels, from instrument level to pro (+4dBu) level.
AUTO AND MODE SWITCHES AND LED
S
:
The AUTO SWITCH overrides both the ATTACK and RELEASE SLIDERS and enables preset
program-dependent attack and release times. There are two different “sets” of AUTO parame-
ters, or MODES, labeled “VOCAL” and “INSTRUMENT.” These two settings are only active when
the AUTO SWITCH is engaged (in the “in” position) and are selectable via the MODE SWITCH.
In these settings, the compressor dynamically responds to the input signal (program-depen-
dent) and continuously changes to match its dynamics. The VOCAL mode has a somewhat
faster attack and release characteristic ideal for compressing widely dynamic signals, such as
vocals.The INSTRUMENT setting has slower attack and release times, ideal for adding sustain
to instrument parts without squashing the initial attack of the signal.The LED labeled AUTO is
lit when the AUTO SWITCH is engaged, or in the “in” position.The two modes are then able to
be selected via the MODE SWITCH.The LEDs indicating which mode the AUTO setting is using
only light in AUTO mode. In the VOCAL mode, enabling the AUTO function duplicates the
“classic dbx sound” of the MC6’s forerunners which have become standards in the industry.
Note that the two AUTO settings may be used for applications other than vocals or instru-
ments. They are labeled this way to provide a good starting point for first-time compressor
users.
I/O METER SWITCH AND LED:
Use this switch to select the mode of the I/O meter.With the I/O METER SWITCH in the “in”
position, the I/O meter is in input mode, and the INPUT LED lights to indicate the selection.
In input mode the meter shows combined left and right channels’ audio level after the input
gain stage and indicates how many dB the signal is below clipping (ie: headroom). When the
switch is in the “out” position, the I/O meter is in output mode and similarly shows the
combined left and right channels’ audio level (headroom) at the output, after all processing has
taken place. In output mode, the INPUT LED is not lit.
BYPASS SWITCH AND LED:
Press this switch in to bypass the front panel controls, effectively disabling the processing of
the MC6's compression and gain settings. The input signal is now unaltered by the MC6's
controls. BYPASS is especially useful for making comparisons between processed and
unprocessed signals. The red BYPASS LED lights when the BYPASS switch is activated. For
more information see the section called “BYPASS FOOTSWITCH JACK” on the next page.
5
