c h a n n e l s t r i p
6
7. To monitor the effect of the gate, press the Gate In button (so that it lights), and
adjust the left-hand threshold control, which is the threshold control for the gate.
Adjusting the threshold clockwise gates more signal – on quiet passages, you
should be able to set the threshold so that very quiet parts are gated (removed) but
louder parts are allowed through. Pressing the To Meter button (so that it lights)
causes the meter’s red LEDs to monitor the gate – when the left LED is lit, the gate
is shut, when the right LED is lit, the gate is open. Adjust the gate’s release control
– as you slow the release, you can see the gate closing more slowly on the meter.
8. To monitor the effect of the expander, press the Expand button (so that it lights),
and adjust the same threshold and release controls as before. Notice how the
expander has a less dramatic effect than the gate – instead of switching the signal
on and off, it fades the signal in and out. When you have finished with the
expander, switch off the Expand button and the Gate In button.
9. Press the Comp In button (so that it lights) to bring the compressor into the circuit,
and adjust the right-hand threshold control. This is the threshold control for the
compressor – as you turn it anti-clockwise, more of the signal is affected, so it
becomes easier to hear the compression. If the To Meter button is lit, the meter
also reacts using the yellow LEDs to show compression, lighting more to the left
as more compression is applied.
10. Set the threshold at -24 (fully anti-clockwise), and adjust the make up control to
restore the signal volume, so that pressing the Comp In button in and out gives a
similar sort of signal level.
11. Turn down the make up control (since further adjustments may reduce the
compression and so raise the volume, and you don’t want to damage any other
units). Adjust the ratio control – as you reduce the ratio, so the signal is less
compressed and the effect becomes less noticeable.
12. Set the ratio control where you can easily hear the effect of compression, and
adjust the release control. The effect of release is particularly easy to hear on
drums (a looped snare is good, if you have access to one). Also try pressing the
Auto Rel button to hear the effect this has.
13. Set the release back to its central position, and ensure that the low filter control is
fully anti-clockwise, and the high filter control fully clockwise. Press the S/C Filters
button (so it lights), and adjust the low filter control – notice how bass becomes
less affected by compression as you increase the low filter. Then set the low filter
off again, and adjust the high filter control to hear its effect. Pressing the To S/C
filters button in and out lets you monitor the effect of the filters.
