Focusrite Red 1, Руководство пользователя

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compressor/limiter
Compressing and Limiting a Stereo Signal
Normally the two channels of the Red 3 run
independently in mono. Controlling a stereo signal
using two independent channels is very difficult, since
it is almost impossible to set the controls for both
channels identically. If the channels are not compressed
identically, you will compress one channel more than
the other, thus shifting the stereo position to the left or
the right. To avoid this problem, use the stereo button.
This disables the top controls: the bottom controls
determine the compression applied to both channels.
Compensating for a Quiet Signal
On some consoles, the insert sends are at lower than
standard operating levels. You will perceive this as an
increase in the overall noise of the unit, since the
signal level of the input is close to the noise floor of the
unit. To compensate for this, there is a switch on the
rear panel of the module, marked as 0 dB and 6 dB. To
change the input
gain, and improve
the signal to noise
ratio of the unit, set
this switch to the
0dB setting.
How to Use Compression
1. Using an input signal with wide dynamic range, set
the controls in the following starting positions:
• Ratio in the middle (around 5:1)
• Threshold at maximum (+12)
• Attack and release at their fastest
• Make-up gain at minimum
• Switch the meter to show gain change, so that you
can monitor the effect of compression
2. Reduce the threshold, and monitor the effect this
has on the sound:
• Listen to the reduction in the dynamic range
• Watch the meter to see the amount of gain reduction
As you reduce the threshold, increase the make-up
gain to restore the level of the signal
3. When you are close to the dynamic range you want,
you need to adjust all the controls to achieve the
quality of sound that you are looking for:
• Adjust the ratio to compress softer or harder
• Adjust the threshold to compress sooner or later
The combination of ratio and threshold determines
the maximum level of the loudest sections.
• Adjust the attack to dampen the sound or to restore
transients
• Adjust the release to even out compression between
the loud and quiet sections
The release determines the level of the quietest signal.
The combination of ratio, threshold and release
determines the overall dynamic range.
When to Use Compression
Compress hard:
• To stop dropping in and out (particularly vocals -
compress quite hard so they sit above the mix).
• When recording bass (for example) - there is a lot of
bass energy that can easily get out of control
• When recording snare
• Anything you want to maintain a continuous presence
in the mix
Compress more softly:
• When the attack is an important characteristic of the
sound
When compressing softly, set the limiter to the
maximum input level of the next stage in the
signalchain. This lets you compress softly without the
risk of overloading the next stage.
Internal
Operating
Level
–6dB 0dB