Audient ASP4816 - Compact Analogue Recording Console - Manual (Page 13)

Page -13- © Audient Ltd
Pressing a solo button on a channel with either PFL or AFL selected allows either the PFL or AFL sig-
nal for that channel to be heard on the monitors and viewed on the stereo output meters.
Associated with the solo switch is the SOLO-IN-FRONT control and this allows the relative level of
the solo’d signal and the stereo mix to be adjusted. It is therefore possible to hear a channel in isolation
or with some amount of the mix behind it. Solo-in-Place is an extension of the AFL and PFL facilities.
If SIP is selected on the master module the signal on the main stereo bus will be replaced by the AFL
(Post Pan) signal of the solo’d channel. This is the equivalent of cutting all other channels except the
one you want to check, but is achieved by just a single button push.
Note that if you are recording when Solo in Place is used this will be recorded !
For this reason the SIP switch is illuminated alerting users to possible danger. The most likely use for
SIP will be just before a mix when equalisation is being set up. It is often easier to adjust the equalisa-
tion on a solo’d channel but it is essential to check how it sounds when in the mix.
Solo
Metering
Metering is extremely important as it can determine whether or not a signal is too low in level, in
which case it may be noisy, or too high in level in which case it may suffer distortion. The aim of the
meters is to assist in setting the signal level between the two extremes of noise and distortion.
A signal level that is too high clips meaning that the smooth waveform abruptly changes when the
electronics runs out of headroom. Normally a visual indication of impending clipping is given before
the audible effects become apparent.
At the other extreme, if there is insufficient signal, any noise present will be amplified along with the
signal when it is eventually brought up to the correct level. There are no indicators warning you of this
condition - only the fact that the signal is not “peaking” to any extent on the meter.
To aid this situation the ASP4816 has input and output meters. DAW input levels can be monitored on
a 20 segment meter, while microphone input levels can be monitored on a 3 segment meter. Provision
is made for the function of these meters to be reversed, as, particularly when tracking, it may be desir-
able to observe the input signal on the large meter.
Overview