background image

Manual-

Bass

It is common for the sound mixer to reduce the bass signal 

because it overwhelms the total system. Use a compressor to 

smooth a bass sound by lessening the variations between the 

strings or strongly resonant notes, and increasing sustain. 

Typical settings for a bass guitar are a ratio of 4:1, with a 

fast attack of 25 ms and a slow release of around 500 ms. These 

settings should produce a strong, smooth bass line to start with, 

but feel free to adjust further as necessary. A hard knee setting 

is often preferred since all that is desired is to tame the excessive 

peaks and leave everything else alone.

Where does a compressor belong in a bass player’s signal 

chain? Well, that depends on how you want it to function. As a 

compressor/limiter for the input signal, it goes after the bass (if 

the bass has a line-level output) and before the preamp. If it were 

to function as a limiter to protect the speakers in the bass rig, it 

would go after the preamp and before the power amp. Another 

method is to insert the unit in the effect loop of the preamp. 

This allows the bass signal to be affected by the pre-amp first, 

then the compressor/limiter, and then sent to the power amp. 

This can be desirable with tube pre-amps.

Guitar

Here is a suggestion on how to achieve a lower volume without 

sounding as if you are playing out of a transistor radio: set a slow 

attack time with a medium to slow release and a relatively low 

threshold. Experiment from these initial settings. 

One of the favorite uses of compression by guitarists is to in-

crease the sustain, or duration of a note after it is played. Carlos 

Santana and Gabor Szabo are two musicians who use sustain to 

great acclaim, although they did it the old-fashioned way of cre-

ating feedback by aiming the guitar pick-ups at the loudspeaker 

and then jamming over it. A compressor creates a similar effect. 

Set a high ratio and low threshold for long sustain, along with 

fast attack and slow release. Again, experimentation produces 

the best results.

ATTACK

RELEASE

RATIO

KNEE

Vocals

Medium to Fast

Medium to Slow

2:1 to 4:1

Soft

Clicky Bass 

Fast

Fast

4:1 or higher

Hard

Mushy Bass 

Medium to Slow

Medium to Slow

4:1

Hard

Raging Electric Guitar

Fast

Slow

4:1 or higher  

(more sustain)

Hard

Acoustic Guitar

Medium to Slow

Medium to Slow

4:1

Medium

Brassy Horns

Fast

Fast

5:1 or higher

Hard

Drums (kick, snare)

Fast

Fast

4:1

Hard

Drums (cymbals)

Fast 

Slow

2:1 to 10:1

Hard

Table . Suggested Compressor Settings

Drums

Reducing the leading edge of a drum hit and bringing out more 

of the “body” of the drum is another popular use of compressors. 

Try ratios between 2:1 and 5:1 accompanied by fast attack and 

release times. Listen carefully while changing the attack time to 

find the final setting.

Cymbals need a fast attack but a slow release to allow the 

sustain through. A low ratio of about 2:1 works well to start.

Digital Recording

For digital recording use the C4 to compress a too-wide dynamic 

range into a signal that does not cause digital overload. The 

Limiter is the primary tool for keeping things under control, but 

a little compression with its threshold set just under the limiter 

threshold level helps keep the limiting more subtle. To control a 

stereo mix, set the mode switches to Slave.

All features & specifications subject to change without notice. DOC 107487 

©Rane  Corporation    080  47th  Ave.  W.,    Mukilteo  WA  9875-5098  USA    TEL  45-55-6000    FAX  45-47-7757    WEB  www.rane.com

Содержание C4

Страница 1: ...or taking the time to read this Quick Start We now return you to your regularly scheduled sound check or recording session OPERATORS MANUAL 0 0 6 3 12 24 dB 20 10 0 40 30 20 10 20 10 0 40 30 22 10 ms...

Страница 2: ...the signal and the side chain The signal path is the route the main signal takes through the unit from the input circuits to the gain control section and exits through the output circuits The signal c...

Страница 3: ...sed for de essing True de essing involves comparing the relative difference between the troublesome sibilants and the overall broadband signal then setting a threshold based on this difference there f...

Страница 4: ...s is very common to switch between a rhythm tone and a lead tone Of ten the musician sets the lead tone brighter than the rhythm tone so it cuts through better The problem comes when the sound system...

Страница 5: ...the original full volume input signal we need to limit perhaps the unfortunate blast of noise when the vocalist inadvertently unplugs the phantom powered mic The bottom line shows the limited output...

Страница 6: ...r is doing at all times Side chain Level Display In Compressor mode the floating meter displays the side chain level relative to the Threshold dBr making it easy to gauge how close the signal is to th...

Страница 7: ...nnels are linked the Master channel Limit Threshold setting determines the maximum output level for both chan nels However the greater of the two peak detected signals is used to control the gain of b...

Страница 8: ...increase as less gain reduction is required and is adjustable from 25 ms fast to 2 seconds slow It is important to understand the difference between release rate as determined by this control and rele...

Страница 9: ...toggle the side chain out of Listen mode as if you meant to have it engaged for the first six songs The Side chain PEQ filter operates in one of two ways depend ing on whether the channel is operating...

Страница 10: ...uggested settings in Table 1 then season to taste by adjusting the Threshold until your ears tell you it s just right Vocals A tough issue with vocals is the extreme dynamic range of some singers Thos...

Страница 11: ...and Gabor Szabo are two musicians who use sustain to great acclaim although they did it the old fashioned way of cre ating feedback by aiming the guitar pick ups at the loudspeaker and then jamming o...

Отзывы: