Nilfisk-ALTO CLE8.0 - Manual (Page 7)

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2.1.4 More about noise: Expanders and Noise-Gates
A lot of instruments such as microphones, amplifiers, guitar pickups, etc generate some noise, either at low fre-
quencies (hum) or at high frequencies (hiss) Such noise will inevitably interfere with the quality of your audio
signal. Now, if you scream into a microphone you will not hear the noise generated by such microphone because
such noise will be "masked" by the higher level of the signal, your voice in this case.
But if you sing into your microphone more gently in a soft passage, the level of the signal generated by your
voice will get much closer to the floor noise level and such floor noise will become disturbing. In order to kill this
problem Expanders and noise-gates are used. An expander is the opposite of a compressor: attenuating the
signal when the amplitude drops they can limit the floor noise.
Now, we do not need dramatic expansion of a signal across the range, This would generate a resulting dynamic
range of over 150dB. For this reason the amplitude control will be applied only to those audio signals which
are below a set threshold. Those audio signals above the set threshold will not be affected. Noise-gate can be
regarded as a simple Expander. But the Expander will attenuate the audio signal continuously below the set
threshold while the noise-gate will simply dramatically cut-off the audio signal completely.
2.2 Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA)
The VCA is the soul of the CLE 8.0 and it is one of the best components available today in his category thanks to its exce-
llent performances in terms of distortion, linearity, noise and temperature stability
2.3 Inputs
2.3.1 Take it easy: Balanced Inputs
To make your life easy and clean we have provided CLE 8.0 with electronically balanced inputs. Even if you
operate at high signal levels, hum and noise will be reduce automatically. There is also a servo-function that
will automatically adjust the internal level when unbalanced connectors are detected. The correction if of 6dB
and it will avoid differences in level in between input and output signal.
3. CONTROLS
The CLE 8.0 presents with 8 channels. Each channel is equipped with the same control elements: 6 push-button switches,
8 rotary controls and 22 LEDs except channel 1 which short of the LINK
CH1 push-button only.
Pic.1: Front Panel of The CLE8.0