11
LINK CONTROL
This feature is used to link two m103 compressors together for stereo bus compression. In this application, only the
compressors are linked and not the eq’s. To use this feature, simply run a standard 1/4” TRS cable between two m103s
connected to the link/sidechaIn jack. Both units’ LINK switches must be on and both rearpanel sidechain / link switches
must be set to LINK. In this mode, the sidechain signals of both units are summed together into one. Neither unit is the
master, rather, changes made to either compressor will effect the summed sidechain signals. So its best to keep the two
units set basically the same.
However, the RATIO control setting isn’t summed and remains independent. So this setting must be set visually with
stereo program meters and/ or by ear.
CHOSING EQ>COMP or COMP>EQ
Again another subjective option, but with some rules of thumb that apply. There may be an instance where it is
preferable to compress before you EQ or visa versa. Perhaps it makes sense to have the compressor only working to
compress an already EQ’d signal. This may be the case if your source has been radically EQ’d, with dramatic cuts, so that
there is no point in having the compressor section work to compress a lot of signal that will be cut. Or conversely, if you
have a lot of boost introduced into the signal, perhaps it works better to have the dynamics processed prior to EQ. We
recommend that you experiment as much as can. And with this feature especially, let you ears be your guide.
Metering
The m103 has 3 places to monitor level status throughout its signal path. It is important to understand what each
indicator is doing and also how it is interacting with level status down stream.
1. The first is the mic preamplifier PEAK LED, positioned between the HI-Z input and the GAIN control. This monitors the
signal at the output of the preamplifier. It illuminates green at -10dBu and red at +16dBu (12dB before clipping). This
is the best way to see how your microphone preamplifier is working at a glance – if the red is flashing periodically,
you’re probably not yet clipping the mic preamp. If it is predominately flashing RED, then you may be close to
clipping and should reduce you mic preamp gain.
2. Next is the the PEAK LED, which is used to monitor any peaks within 6dB of internal clipping in the line section (EQ/
COMP). If this illuminates, take an inventory of where your eq points are set, and how much gain you are adding.
If there is too much boost in the EQ, this may cause the line section to peak. Also, this may be affected by the gain
setting of the microphone preamplifier upstream. If peaks are occurring without any gain boost in the EQ, then you
may need to lower your mic preamplifier gain.
3. Lastly is the VU OUTPUT level meter, which is used to monitor the level at the output of the m103. This meter is
designed to work like an analog VU meter. Analog VU meters have a reaction time which is effected by physical
inertia, which makes them slower than much of the transient peak information in a music signal. This means that an
analog VU meter is not good at monitoring peaks, but at displaying the average volume (VU= volume units) of the
signal. So we have tailored the response of our LED VU meter to act this way. While the actual headroom of the m103
is +28dBu, the VU meter only displays signal activity between -20 and and +3dBu. So in other words, +3 on the VU
meter DOES NOT denote a peak. the VU meter on the m103 is there to show average volume of your signal. Actual
peaks should be monitored downstream at your converter, interface or workstation.
Setting the TRIM control
The TRIM control provides 20dB of variable level control at the output of the m103. After setting correct microphone
preamplifier levels and ensuring that the line section (EQ/COMP) is not experiencing any peaks, you can set the over all
output of the m103 with the TRIM control. Use the TRIM to properly match to the input of your converter, interface or
recorder. Also, your signal level may have been be reduced by heavy compression settings, so the TRIM control can also
be used to provide
makup gain
.
