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While there is no wrong way to set an equalizer, there are some general guidelines that may help you get the results you
are looking for a little faster.
CONTROLLING BASS FREQUENCIES
In addition to the low frequency controls of the m103, we have included the 75Hz HPF on the mic preamp section. If you
need to reduce rumble, wind noise or excessive proximity effect, its recommended that you start with this control, rather
that putting the EQ to work at this job.
Again, the m103 EQ is very precise and powerful, which is well illustrated by beginning to shape the tone of an
instrument’s bottom range. If you need to add some girth to a bass guitar, you should be able to readily hear 3dB of
boost in the 50 to 100Hz range. Pay close attention not to add low frequencies at the amount that they may overtake the
balance of the instrument or the mix (unless that’s what you intend to do – there is no wrong way!)
CONTROLLING MID FREQUENCIES
The MID band of the m103 is fully parametric, which means that not only can you set the exact frequency you wish
to adjust, but you can control the Q factor as well. Q is a measure of the ‘sharpness’ of the boost or cut at the selected
frequency. A lower Q setting (knob turned to the left) means the boost or cut will have a greater effect on the adjacent
bands. Higher Q setting means less effect on adjacent bands, providing a more ‘surgical’ cut or boost of the selected
frequency.
PEAK INDICATOR
This red LED illuminates when the level in the EQ reaches 6dB before internal clipping. This can happen in conditions
when too much gain has been added to the signal in the EQ/COMP section. If this happens it’s a good idea to take an
inventory of where your eq points are set, and how much gain you are adding. A good rule of thumb is that subtractive
eq should precede additive eq. In other words, cutting other frequencies can help highlight the frequencies you wish to
enhance without building up excessive gain in your signal path. Note that this LED is before the output trim control.
OTHER EQ RECOMMENDATIONS
If you don’t have much experience using an equalizer, there is a wealth of information on the Internet to be had. It is very
helpful to at least know the basics of equalizing the most common instruments, and those basics will lead to a deeper
understanding of not only how an EQ works, but how the instrument works and what it takes to get it to sound right
for your particular recording. Again, there is no wrong way to do it. Changing the tone of an instrument is ultimately a
subjective thing, but the more you experiment the more you will understand and ultimately, the better your recordings
will sound.
Operating the COMP Section
The compressor circuit is based on an optical attenuator - the purest, high fidelity gain control mechanism available. It
provides gentle to fairly heavy compression, while remaining neutral and transparent. This compressor is not designed
for “brick wall” limiting.
Similar to an eq, dynamic range compression is a subjective tool – there is no wrong way to use it. However, using a
compressor in a way that produces the best results can be complicated, and again, the more you know, the better it will
work. If you are unsure about how a compressor works, we highly recommend some reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range_compression
It will pay greatly to understand the mechanism of dynamic range compression
BEFORE
you begin to record keeper
tracks with the compressor on.
SETTING THE THRESHOLD
The threshold is the point at which the compressor begins to attenuate the incoming signal. This control can also
be loosely thought of as
compression amount
, as a high threshold setting (counterclockwise) will result in only the
dynamically highest passages of signal to be attenuated, while everything below that threshold is unaffected by the
circuit. Conversely, a lower threshold means more of the signal at the input of the circuit will be attenuated resulting in
more compression
.
