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DN530
Operator Manual

5

 

Chapter 2: What Is A Gate?

The natural sounds of everyday life, which can be caused by anything from, say, the 
falling of a leaf to the roar of a jet engine, vary extremely widely in sound level.  This 
variance is known as the ‘dynamic range’ and is the difference — expressed in 
decibels (dB) — between the loudest and quietest sounds in a piece of audio, such as 
music or speech, or that can be reproduced by a piece of audio equipment without 
distortion.

All of the sounds that we want to listen to, whether natural or electronically processed, 
are accompanied by a certain amount of unwanted background noise, such as the rustle 
of musicians turning the pages of the score in the studio.  Even if, in the final 
programme, the noise level is below the ambient noise of the listening area, it may still 
be heard and is therefore undesirable.

The gate is a valuable tool for controlling the dynamic range.  The gate of the DN530 
not only allows you to minimise or eliminate unwanted low level noises, but also gives 
you creative possibilities by providing the tools to artistically restructure the dynamics 
of a signal.

Principles of gate operation

The gate closes when the input signal falls below threshold (position 1 in Figure 1 
below).  This cuts off the output signal altogether until the gate opens again (position 2 
Figure 1 below) when the input signal goes over threshold.

Figure 1: Gate function

You would normally set the gate threshold below the lowest level of the performance so 
as not to lose any of the performance, but eliminating any of the unwanted hum, low 
level noise etc.

Input signal

Time

S

ignal leve

l

Output signal

Time

S

ign

al level

Signals in 

this range 

muted

Signals in 

this range 

muted

Signals in 

this range 

muted

Music signal

Threshold

Noise

1

2

Содержание DN530

Страница 1: ...nik com Website www klarkteknik com DN530 Creative Quad Gate Operator Manual DN530 Creative Quad Gate Operator Manual DOC02 DN530 Issue B February 2010 Red Chip Company Ltd In line with the company s...

Страница 2: ......

Страница 3: ...ype plug has two blades and a third grounding prong The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet consult an electrician for replace...

Страница 4: ...rre des prises trois fiches Si la prise fournie ne peut pas tre branch e dans la prise lectrique adressez vous un lectricen qui remplacera la prise obsol te 10 Prot gez le cordon secteur afin que l on...

Страница 5: ...rds Standards date reference number title EN 60065 2002 Audio video and similar electronic apparatus Safety requirements Applied EMC emission test standards w ref no title EN 55103 1 1996 Class B EN 5...

Страница 6: ......

Страница 7: ...deface any warnings or cautions Power Please note that the system power supplies contain LETHAL VOLTAGES greatly in excess of the mains voltage and that its rails can produce extremely large currents...

Страница 8: ...nect the signal screen at one end of the connecting cables Note that this can only be done when the equipment is used within a balanced system Radio frequency interference Class B device This equipmen...

Страница 9: ...ipment Unless advised otherwise optional equipment must only be installed by service personnel and in accordance with the appropriate assembly and usage regulations Special accessories To comply with...

Страница 10: ...Precautions DN530 x Operator Manual...

Страница 11: ...e 9 Installation 9 Connecting the power cable 10 Connecting the audio cables 10 Channel I O pin outs 10 Sidechain inputs 11 Connecting to unbalanced equipment 12 Powering the unit 12 Chapter 4 Front P...

Страница 12: ...ve instruments 27 Transient accentuation 27 Music PA 28 Conference PA 28 Envelope shaping 29 Gating vocals 29 Chatter 30 Clicking 30 False triggering 30 Noise enhancement 31 Ducking 31 De essing 31 Ap...

Страница 13: ...service All this is backed up of course by the standard Klark Teknik three year warranty Please take the time to complete and return the registration card or fill in the Warranty Registration Form on...

Страница 14: ...like guitar amps The accent feature is primarily intended for use with gated percussion but it can also be used on its own with the gate range set to minimum in order to add punch as an effect to var...

Страница 15: ...e material Ducking Extremely low noise and distortion levels Rotary controls for all envelope characteristics and range Progressively controllable accent level that emphasises the start of signals to...

Страница 16: ...Chapter 1 Introduction DN530 4 Operator Manual...

Страница 17: ...ening area it may still be heard and is therefore undesirable The gate is a valuable tool for controlling the dynamic range The gate of the DN530 not only allows you to minimise or eliminate unwanted...

Страница 18: ...the bass guitarist as well When several mics are positioned on the kit each one giving a good sound on its own particular drum but they will all pick up unwanted instruments as well making the sound l...

Страница 19: ...de the following Chatter The gate is indecisive and keeps opening and closing on sustained notes Clicking The attack is set too fast or its envelope shape is unsuitable and generates high order harmon...

Страница 20: ...Chapter 2 What Is A Gate DN530 8 Operator Manual...

Страница 21: ...or supplier or transport or ship the unit later Checking the mains fuse Before installing the equipment make sure that the mains fuse fitted is of the correct type and rating for your unit For detail...

Страница 22: ...ff connect the DN530 to the rest of your audio equipment as shown in the following subsections For information on balancing see Balanced unbalanced audio on page 37 Channel I O pin outs The following...

Страница 23: ...Inserting a mono jack plug will automatically unbalance the input The following diagram shows the sidechain input connection details The 1 4 TRS connector wiring details are as follows Tip Ring Sleev...

Страница 24: ...he ground pin 1 of the balanced connection to the common ground terminal on the unbalanced connector The following diagram shows the wiring details for the insert send return 1 4 TRS connector XLRs Po...

Страница 25: ...have two positions in and out Each of these switches have an associated LED above that illuminates to show when the switch is on Description The front panel comprises four channel sections and a powe...

Страница 26: ...below threshold and the hold time has elapsed 4 Control knob ACCENT Adds an overshoot characteristic when the gate is opening which accentuates the transient 5 Pushbutton DUCK Reverses the operation...

Страница 27: ...oint The metering comprises the following LEDs Label Colour Function CLIP Red Clip LED for showing when the signal is being clipped Clip LED threshold is 21dBu ACC Blue Accent LED for showing when the...

Страница 28: ...he SOLO pushbutton Item Type Label Function 1 LED yellow Not applicable On off status indicator for the EXT pushbutton 2 Pushbutton EXT Switches the source of the signals that feed the sidechain from...

Страница 29: ...fuse drawer houses the mains fuse at the rear of a two compartment drawer The front compartment provides room for a spare Always replace the mains fuse with one of the same type and rating as printed...

Страница 30: ...d an output XLR chassis connector These are connected to an external monitor input such as a mixing console or they can be daisy chained to other units being monitored see Figure 3 Daisy chaining the...

Страница 31: ...reduction can be infinite but things often sound more natural when it is backed off to only 10dB or 15dB With this type of setting the background noise and spill remain at a reduced level but become l...

Страница 32: ...hold shift i TS Intelligent threshold shift i TS or hysteresis operates in conjunction with the HOLD control knob to reduce chattering within the gate Chattering is the undesirable condition that occu...

Страница 33: ...open at a selected frequency Sidechain For most applications the DN530 is triggered by the level of the incoming signal Sometimes it can be useful to use a different signal to trigger the gate this si...

Страница 34: ...cal set up for external sidechain operation DN530 rear panel Console Send Return Send Channel insert point contact mic Contact mic Snare Mic snare mic snare mic External sidechain input 1 4 TRS jack I...

Страница 35: ...wing monitoring of the sidechain filter without interrupting the audio output of the processor The rear panel of the DN530 includes a solo bus with input and output XLRs This allows multiple units to...

Страница 36: ...nnel insert return By connecting the DN530 at this position in the signal chain its operation is unaffected by the use of any of the console controls except input gain An alternative is to connect to...

Страница 37: ...e eliminated before it has chance to be exaggerated by the compressor action Some engineers prefer to connect the gate after the compressor This reduces any slight noise produced by the compressor its...

Страница 38: ...ynchronise precisely to the regular beat of the bass drum This can be done by passing the bass guitar through the gate and using the bass drum as the external sidechain DN530 rear panel Console Send R...

Страница 39: ...rument Most noise problems will have a predominantly high frequency content Drums and percussive instruments Ideally to obtain the best results you would set the threshold as low as possible to utilis...

Страница 40: ...With high amplification levels it is possible for a drum to resonate in sympathy with the amplified version of itself similar to microphonic howl round It is possible for this sound to be so loud tha...

Страница 41: ...rest and rhythm to the arrangement Figure 4 Envelope shaping In a similar way a bass drum may be beefed up by using it to key a low frequency tone produced by a synthesiser or even the console oscilla...

Страница 42: ...which may be useful as an effect Release times are typically much slower so audio frequency clicks are rarely heard but the logarithmic shape is still the best because it makes the fade out much less...

Страница 43: ...d music is automatically made to duck is attenuated so that their voice can be heard clearly and at a normal level De essing Compressors have traditionally been used for de essing but the degree of de...

Страница 44: ...Application Notes DN530 32 Operator Manual...

Страница 45: ...ally balanced Jack sockets 20k ohms 22dBu Typically 60dB at 1kHz Solo bus input One Type Input impedance Maximum input level Common mode rejection Analogue electronically balanced female XLR pin 2 hot...

Страница 46: ...y to 0dB Scale 30 s to 10ms Scale 2ms to 2s Scale 2ms to 2s Scale 0dB to 12dB Filter Sidechain filter Scale 40Hz to 16kHz Terminations Audio Power 3 pin XLRs male and female and 1 4 TRS balanced jack...

Страница 47: ...DN530 Operator Manual 35 Appendix C Functional Block Diagram The following page contains the signal flow diagram for the DN530...

Страница 48: ...REL DUCK FILTER SOLO ATTACK RELEASE 2ms 30us 0 03 1ms 0 3 3ms 2s 10ms RANGE 40 10 0dB HOLD 2ms 0 03 0 3 2s Antilog _ _ From Channels 2 4 FREQUENCY 200 800 6k 1 40Hz ACCENT 0dB 8 4 12 50 25 0dB THRESH...

Страница 49: ...and the third is a grounded shield that surrounds the hot and cold cables An unbalanced connection only has two cables one of which the grounded shield is also used for signal return As the hot and co...

Страница 50: ...Balanced Unbalanced Audio DN530 38 Operator Manual...

Страница 51: ...DN530 Operator Manual 39 Appendix E Crib Sheet The following page contains a crib sheet You can photocopy or print this page if you want more copies...

Страница 52: ...D ACCENT ATTACK RELEASE BYPASS DUCK FILTER SOLO FREQUENCY 20 50 25 0dB 200 800 6k 1 40Hz RANGE 40 10 0dB 2ms 2ms 30us 0dB 0 03 0 03 1ms 8 4 0 3 0 3 3ms 12 2s 2s 10ms CLIP SHUT ACC HLD THR REL THRESHOL...

Страница 53: ...ning Clean the DN530 using a dry lint free cloth Do not use harsh abrasives or solvents When cleaning the unit take great care not to damage control knobs pushbuttons etc Replacing the mains fuse The...

Страница 54: ...during their life times and when they become waste The WEEE directive addresses the disposal of products when they have reached the end of their life and contributes to the reduction of wasteful consu...

Страница 55: ...hank you for reading through this Operator Manual We hope you found it useful Please feel free to send us your comments Our contact details and website address can be found at the front of this manual...

Страница 56: ...k Klark Industrial Park Walter Nash Road Kidderminster Worcestershire DY11 7HJ England Tel 44 1562 741515 Fax 44 1562 745371 Email info midasklarkteknik com Website www klarkteknik com 2011 Red Chip C...

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