SC2 CONTROLS
. Feed some program material into the unit and set the 'STEREO INPUT GAIN'
control to about number 5; this will correspond to about 10dB gain.
. Set the output (rear panel) to match the equipment being driven. (professional
studio equipment is no4 or 0dB. less expensive equipment is often -
10dB)
. Turn up the 'COMPRESSION' control slowly and, if there is sufficient audio
signal, the meter will start to indicate compression by the needle moving
downwards.
The compressor should now be working and your ears can take over.
CONTROL EXPLANATIONS.
There are two main gain controls on the compressor; the input gain control on
the front panel, and the output gain preset control on the rear panel.
The input gain control is a simple stereo ganged control that sets the audio
gain of the front end amplifier. At maximum, the gain of the unit is about 20dB.
So if you set the gain to say 10dB and wind in compression until the in/out
switch tells you that the output is the same, you have 10dB true compression.
The output gain preset control is to set the output to a comfortable level for the
equipment it is feeding into.
CAUTION; the compressor has gain, and a high output capability. If you hear
a sign of overloading it’s likely that your mixer insert point is being overdriven.
It’s very unlikely that you are overdriving the compressor: Try turning down the
output volume (rear panel).
'SLOPE' this control alters the ratio of compression. In practice, '1' is very
gentle compression while '4' can give severe 'pumping' effects. I find that '1' or
'2' is right for voice and for overall effect, while the higher numbers are better
for instruments.
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