Sumo Summing Amplifier - Manual (Page 17)

Operational Manual
Knobs, Buttons and Flashy Lights
© Audient v1.0 10/2004 17
Adjusting this will vary the way the
compressor handles transient sounds.
Where control of unruly
transients is required, a
faster attack will clamp
down on peaks. However,
if larger amounts of gain reduction
are applied, unnecessarily fast
attack times may affect high
frequency content.
The Peak Limiter ’s response is fast
attack, fast release, and very hard. It has
two functions: Firstly, as a protective
device it can remove the dangerous peaks
that can result in digital clipping.
Secondly, it can be used to increase the
average signal level (as your ear detects
volume by averaging over time) and
increase the perceived loudness of your
mix within the confines of a recording
medium: Great if you want your CDs to
sound as loud as the pros’.
Gain R eduction Metering – Two
independent meters show gain reduction
at the compression and limiting stages, so
you immediately know where any
adjustments need to be made.
As a rough guide, 3dB of
reduction with a fairly
high ratio should be pretty
inaudible. If you’re looking
for a more general squashing,
values of up to 6dB with a lower
ration (1.5 or 2) should give some
good results. However, be aware
that for the limiter and fast attack
settings of the compressor,
reduction may occur faster than
the meters can show it, so take
this into account and trust your
ears!
Be particularly careful of peak
limiting: reduction in excess of
6dB may well cause adverse
effects such as chewing up
your top end.
MIX MASTER / MONITOR
Section
MIX MASTER – Is the final gain
control before the mix leaves the unit, or
enters the digital card. This is useful as a
final adjustment after any gain changes
brought about by dynamics and inserts.
‘Ext In’ Switch – Switches the
external input into the monitor path. Use
this to monitor playback from your master
recorder, or perhaps to check your mix
against reference material.
MONITOR Volume – Say no more.
Monitor Mono Switch – allows you
to check phase coherence, etc. by
summing the monitor outputs in mono.
!