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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

Before using this unit, be sure to carefully read the applicable items of these operating instructions and the
safety suggestions. Afterwards keep them handy for future reference. Take special care to follow the

warnings indicated on the unit itself, as well as in the operating instructions.

1.

 

Water and Moisture

 – Do not use the unit

near any source of water or in excessively moist
environments.

2.

 

Object and Liquid Entry

  –  Care  should  be

taken so that objects do not fall, and liquids are
not spilled, into the enclosure through openings.

3.

 

Ventilation

 – When installing the unit in a rack

or any other location, be sure there is adequate
ventilation. Improper ventilation will cause

overheating, and can damage the unit.

4.

 

Heat

 – The unit should be situated away from

heat sources, or other equipment that produces

heat.

5.

 

Power Sources

 – The unit should be connected

to a power supply only of the type described in

the operating instructions, or as marked on the
unit.

6.

 

Power Cord Protection

 – AC power supply

cords should be routed so that they are not likely
to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon
or against them. Pay particular attention to cords
at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point

where they exit from the unit. Never take hold of
the plug or cord if your hand is wet. Always grasp
the plug body when connecting or disconnecting
it.

7.

 

Grounding of the Plug

 – This unit is

equipped with a 3-wire grounding type plug, a
plug having a third (grounding) pin. This plug will

only fit into a grounding-type power outlet. This is
a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the
plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to

replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the
purpose of the grounding-type plug.

8.

 

Carts and Stands

 – The unit should be used

only with a cart or stand that is recommended by
the manufacturer. The unit and cart combination

should be moved with care. Quick stops,
excessive force and uneven surfaces may cause
the unit and cart combination to overturn.

9.

 

Wall Or Ceiling Mount

 – The unit should be

mounted to a wall or ceiling only as
recommended by the manufacturer.

10.

 

Cleaning

 – The unit should be cleaned only as

recommended by the manufacturer.

11.

 

Nonuse Periods

 – The AC power supply cord

of the unit should be unplugged from the AC

outlet when left unused for a long period of time.

12.

 

Damage Requiring Service

 – The unit

should be serviced by qualified service personnel
when:

a)

 

The AC power supply cord or the plug has
been damaged; or

b)

 

Objects have fallen or liquid has been spilled

into the unit; or

c)

 

The unit has been exposed to rain; or

d)

 

The unit does not operate normally or

exhibits a marked change in performance; or

e)

 

The unit has been dropped, or the enclosure

damaged.

13.

 

 

Servicing

 – The user should not attempt to

service the unit beyond that described in the
operating instructions. All other servicing should

be referred to qualified service personnel.

Содержание LA-2A

Страница 1: ...Model LA 2A Leveling Amplifier Universal Audio Inc www uaudio com PO Box 3818 Santa Cruz CA 95063 3818 ...

Страница 2: ...preceded it the electro luminescent light source provided the fast attack necessary for broadcast applications Additionally the cadmium sulfide photo cells provided a very natural two stage release which resulted in a compression characteristic more transparent than the other compressors of its day To this day the LA 2A delivers a trademark sound treasured by engineers worldwide Here at Universal ...

Страница 3: ...r disconnecting it 7 Grounding of the Plug This unit is equipped with a 3 wire grounding type plug a plug having a third grounding pin This plug will only fit into a grounding type power outlet This is a safety feature If you are unable to insert the plug into the outlet contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet Do not defeat the purpose of the grounding type plug 8 Carts and Stands...

Страница 4: ...rranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose Universal Audio Inc shall not be liable for errors contained herein or direct indirect special incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing performance or use of this material Copyright 2000 Universal Audio Inc All rights reserved This manual and any associated software artwork product designs and design conc...

Страница 5: ...Switch 3 Calibration 4 Meter Zero Adjust 4 Side Chain Pre Emphasis R37 4 Stereo Balance Adjust R3 4 Theory of Operation 5 Compressor Basics 5 Gain Reduction Circuit 8 Side Chain Circuit 11 Output Circuit 11 Metering Circuit 11 Appendix 12 Creative Classics The 1176 Solid State Limiting Amplifier and the LA 2A Leveling Amplifier 12 The LA 2A 12 Developing the 1176 13 More Than a Vintage Fad Classic...

Страница 6: ...nal 16dBm peaks Input Level 16 dBm maximum Very fast attack time Release Time approximately 0 06 seconds for 50 release 0 5 to 5 seconds for complete release depending upon the amount of previous reduction Input Impedance 600 ohms balanced Output Impedance 600 ohms balanced Panel Size 19 x 5 Depth Behind Panel 7 Panel Controls Gain Output level Peak Reduction and Meter Selector Switch Meter dB Gai...

Страница 7: ...onnect Ground 7 to the cable shield Peak Reduction Control Operation of the LA 2A is very straightforward There are only two controls that one must deal with The first is the Peak Reduction control This control should be set so that the compressor exhibits the desired amount of compression This control should be set independently of the Gain Control Gain Control This control does not affect the co...

Страница 8: ...0 dB settings The middle setting is for gain reduction and the meter reads the amount of compression in dB Limit Compress Switch The Limit Compress Switch changes the characteristics of the compressor IO curve When in the Compress position the curve is more gentle and presents a low compression ratio A higher compression ratio results when the switch is set to the Limit position ...

Страница 9: ...ly more sensitive to the higher frequencies Stereo Balance Adjust R3 For stereo operation two LA 2A units are interconnected in order to achieve the same amount of gain reduction from each of the two units to maintain stereo imaging In order to accomplish this terminals 6 from each unit should be connected together Additionally their grounds terminal 7 should be connected together The interconnect...

Страница 10: ... Level dB Compression Expansion Perfect amplifier Figure 1 Input output characteristics of a compressor an expander and a perfect amplifier In contrast to an amplifier whose job is to present a constant gain a compressor varies its gain in response to the level of the input signal Large input signals result in less gain thus reducing or compressing the dynamic range of the signal Referring again t...

Страница 11: ... input level is increased by 10 dB while the output level only increases 5 dB This would be a compression ratio of 2 1 Lower ratios such as 2 1 result in more gentle compression Note that a compression ratio of 1 1 is no compression at all Typically compressors let you choose a threshold This is the point at which gain reduction starts to take place When an audio signal is below this threshold the...

Страница 12: ... A TH O D E FO LLO W ER 1 2 B H 7 PRE EM PH A SIS V O LTA G E A M PLIFIER 1 2 A X7 A ELEC TRO LU M IN ESC EN T D RIV ER 6 A Q 5 O U TPU T TRA N SFO RM ER O U TPU T N EG A TIV E FEED B A C K G A IN C O N TRO L PEA K RED U C TIO N C O N TRO L STEREO IN TERC O N N EC TIO N Figure 3 Block diagram of the LA 2A compressor ...

Страница 13: ...of the input signal In order to do this the compressor must first have some method of determining the level of the signal and must then be able to use this to control the gain There are many different schemes to accomplish these tasks In the case of the LA 2A both of these functions are performed by the T4 which is an electro optical element A T4 is comprised of an electro luminescent EL panel and...

Страница 14: ...hematic of the LA 2A input and gain reduction circuit The T4 electro optical device is the heart of the compressor and its gain reduction characteristics Its unique characteristics affect the overall sound and character of the LA 2A In addition to the compression curve the combination of the EL panel and the photo cell determine the attack and release characteristics of the LA 2A This is one of th...

Страница 15: ...characteristic is critical to the sound of the unit The amount of compression as well as the compression threshold is controlled by the Peak Reduction potentiometer This potentiometer controls the gain of the side chain circuit The greater the gain of this circuit the lower the threshold and the greater the amount of compression will be Many modern limiters and compressors allow for the direct adj...

Страница 16: ...ponse Subsequent to the filter a 6AQ5 provides the signal necessary to drive the electro luminescent panel EL panels were often used for night lights and hence are usually designed to be driven with 120 volts 60 Hz AC They were not designed for audio and applying the wide bandwidth signals that arise in audio applications results in a shortened lifetime of the part Output Circuit Figure 7 Schemati...

Страница 17: ...with the fader of a console it keeps the volume up during softer sections and brings it down when the signal gets louder The dynamic processing that occurs at ratios below 10 or 12 to one is generally referred to as compression above that it s known as limiting Modern day compressors offer a great degree of programmability and flexibility while older devices such as the 1176 and the LA 2A are more...

Страница 18: ...former whose design and performance is critical Its primary function is to convert the unbalanced nature of the 1176 circuit to a balanced line output and to provide the proper impedance matching to drive the line impedance of 600 ohms These two jobs are accomplished by the primary and secondary windings whose turns ratio defines the impedance ratio This transformer is critical due to the fact tha...

Страница 19: ...s to the sound of equipment The owner of Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles and Nashville he s also a speaker designer and engineer who is especially respected for his work with live musicians including orchestra and string dates Among his recent credits are work with the Goo Goo Dolls Alanis Morissette and Green Day Sides brings his different perspectives into play when he talks about using the 117...

Страница 20: ...everything but I d have to say I ve used an1176 on everything at one time or another They have an equalizer kind of effect adding a coloration that s bright and clear Not only do they give you a little more impact from the compression they also sort of clear things up maybe a little bottom end gets squeezed out or maybe they are just sort of excitingly solid state or whatever they are The big thin...

Страница 21: ...ss and presence of a sound they give it an energy It seems like when I m mixing I end up using an 1176 on the vocals every time And if I want to compress a room sound I ll take a mono room mic put an 1176 across it and push in all the buttons Bruce Swedein Bruce Swedien is a master engineer who needs no introduction He also is a die hard 1176 fan I have two silverface 1176LNs in my rack that Bill ...

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