Mackie DL1608 Reference Guide V1.2
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Compressor On / Off
Press the Comp button to turn the compressor on or off . It will illuminate green when engaged (as seen on
the previous page) and is gray when disengaged (as seen below).
Compressor Display and Settings
The output compressor for each selected output may be adjusted by moving the gain, threshold and ratio
balls or moving any of the fi ve sliders left and right. Additionally, exact settings may be entered into the
current parameter value. The output compressor may be adjusted whether the output compressor is on
or off . There is no output compressor for the reverb and delay outputs.
Threshold
Threshold sets the threshold of the compressor in dB below 0 dBFS. The range of the threshold setting
varies from –60 dBFS to 0 dBFS.
Ratio
Ratio sets the amount of gain reduction applied as the signal exceeds the threshold level. The range
of the ratio of the compressor varies from 1:1 to inf:1.
Attack
Attack determines how quickly the compressor reacts once the signal is above threshold. Short attack
times allow compressing on short transients, while longer attack times cause these transients to
be ignored. The range of the attack time varies from 0.1 ms to 300 ms.
Release
Release determines how long it takes for the compressor to end gain reduction once the signal drops
back below the threshold. The range of the release speed varies from 50 ms to 3 seconds.
Gain
Gain adds make-up gain to the output of the compressor. This is useful to make the apparent volume
of the signal the same with the compressor in and out of the signal chain. The range of the make-up
gain varies from 0 dB to 20 dB.
Soft Knee / Hard Knee Compression
This switch sets the shape of the gain reduction curve at the threshold level. When set to hard, the gain
reduction curve changes abruptly at the threshold level. When set to soft, the gain reduction curve changes
gently as it transitions to the fi nal ratio amount.
Output Compressor / Limiter Meters
These three meters show the input level, amount of gain reduction and output level.
