TC Electronic Finalizer Express - Manual (Page 14)

12
BASIC OPERATION Knobs & Keys
This chapter will explain all of the controls of the Finalizer Express.
POWER key
Turn on the Finalizer Express with a single light touch. To turn
off the device you must press and hold down the power key
approx. 3 seconds. The LED in the POWER key blinks when the
unit is turned off. A master POWER switch is placed on the rear
panel of the Finalizer Express to accommodate CE regulations.
INPUT selector
This key toggles between the four Inputs of the Finalizer
Express: Analog, Optical, S/PDIF and AES/EBU. When one of
the digital Inputs is selected, the Finalizer Express automatically
selects the current Input as master clock, the selected Input and
the incoming sample rate is indicated by one of the two
44.1/48kHz LEDs. In case the clock is invalid, or not present,
the 44.1 and 48 kHz LEDs will be blinking. An alternative clock
source may be chosen in the Out section (See ”Sync from
44.1/48/Digi”).
ANALOG IN knob
Sets the analog Input level. In order to get maximum
performance out of the A/D converter, you should turn the
signal up to approximately -6dB (shown on the INPUT meter).
This control is only functional when analog Input is selected.
Range: -6dB to +26dB.
When the knob is set to 0dB you need to input 16dBu in order to
reach 0dBFS.
Warning: If the INPUT CLIP LEDs are lit, the signal is hard
clipped or distorted.
NORMALIZER GAIN knob
The NORMALIZER GAIN knob sets the digital gain of the
incoming signal, and at the same time drives the Compressor. In
case of too much gain, the NORMALIZER CLIP LED will light.
This is indicating that the signal is hard clipped and may be
distorted. The Normalizer section contains a Softclipper that will
allow you to add more gain before clipping.
(see Normalizer Softclip below).
Range: +/- 18dB.
NORMALIZER SOFTCLIP key
This key toggles the Normalizer Softclip on/off. The Softclipper
smoothly eliminates any overshoot that might occur in the
Normalizer. Please note that if you ‘gain’ the signal too hard, you
might introduce noticeable distortion on source material with a
low harmonic content and/or on very pure signals. The distortion
introduced is somewhat similar to tape saturation that can occur
when overdriving an analog tape recorder.
The Normalizer softclipper starts working at -6dBFS and
gradually increases with the level.
FINALIZE SOFTCLIP ON/OFF key
This key toggles the Finalize Softclip on/off. The Softclipper
smoothly eliminates any overshoot that might occur after heavy
compression or limiting. Please note that by using too hard
compression, you might introduce noticeable distortion on signals
with a low harmonic content and/or on very pure signals. The
distortion introduced is somewhat similar to the tape saturation
distortion that occurs when overdriving an analog tape recorder.
The amount of Finalize softclipping is displayed by the four
orange LEDs above the Output meter. The Finalizer Express
Softclipper starts working at -3dBFS and gradually increases with
the level.
The LED FINALIZE MATRIX
The Finalize Matrix sets the style and Rate of the Compressor.
Try to experiment with the different settings to find the one that
suits your source material best. Use the ARROW keys for selecting the
desired setting. (see the “Finalize Matrix” Appendix for details).
LOOK AHEAD DELAY ON/OFF key
By delaying the audio signal 3ms, the Compressor gets the
necessary ample time to create perfect level correction. This
reduces the number of “overshoots” in the Compressor and
thereby makes the compression more accurate and less audible.
It is recommended to leave this function on in most cases.
Note: This feature will delay the full signal through the Finalizer
Express by 3ms.
MIDI Channel
Press the Finalize Softclip and the ARROW up key
simultaneously to access the MIDI channel transmitted and
recognized by the Finalizer Express. Use the ARROW up/down
to change the MIDI channel of the Finalizer Express.
The EMPHASIS keys
Each of the three EMPHASIS keys, enhances their respective
frequency range by additional compression and Make-up gain.
For example if you press the Low Emphasis key, the low band
will be additionally compressed and level compensated, keeping
it at the same level.