6
DRAWMER
Expander
Expanders are generally used to remove unwanted noise during what should be passages of silence, by
attenuating the signal below the threshold. In addition they are a means of ‘undoing’ gain at very low
levels due to compression, where the noise floor is pulled up to an unacceptably high level. The expander
on the SDX100 is excellent for use on vocal tracks as it has a separate attack and release to smoothly
gate the start and ending of words.
Threshold
0.0 to -50.0 dB
Sets the level below which the expander is active.
The meter to the right clearly shows the threshold
level in response to the actual signal.
Ratio
1:1 to 100:1
Ratio determines the amount of expansion to
be used.
Attack
200uS to 100mS.
Controls the speed that the expander responds
to signals that exceed the level set by threshold.
Release
50.0mS to 5.0S.
Sets the time taken for the signal to return to
normal after expansion. Percussive instruments
should have a fast release, slower signals require
a longer release.
Using the SDX100
Range
-50.0 to 0.0dB
When the expander is closed Range is used to
remove signals entirely or to attenuate signals
that are too loud. This can be used to prevent
excessive expander activity and improve
transparency.
G.R. Meter
0.0 to -50dB
Bypass
Enables the expander. When pressed in the
signal is passed directly to the compressor
without alteration.
Quick Start
The fastest parameter setup can be obtained by
using the factory presets. (See “Patches”)
Alternatively, setting of controls can be done very
quickly using the following suggestions:
• Bypass the Compressor.
• Select the desired amount of reduction using
Range.
• From the programme material, decide at
what speed to set the Attack and Release
controls. For programme with long legato
release, then Release will also need to be
long. Eg. Piano with reverb. For material with
much low frequency content, then the Attack
will need to be quite slow.
• From the programme material, decide how
severe expansion is going to be. We suggest
no more than 2.5:1 for vocals, more for dynamic
full mix material.
• Using the vertical VU meter and the Expander
Gain Reduction (GR) meter, rotate the
Threshold until some GR activity can be seen.
As a rule, the Threshold will need to be about
6dB to 10dB below the average input level to
both see and hear much change.
