Rane MA 3 1998 version - Manual (Page 2)

Manual-2
FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION
ቢ Heat tunnel exhaust vents are located on the left of the unit. Large aperture vent slots are used for low noise. Air is taken
in at the back of the unit and exhausts out the front. When installed in a rack, make sure there is ample room for air to exit.
The sealed heat tunnel design does not require the use of an air filter.
ባ OUTPUT HEADROOM meters indicate the amount of remaining headroom (how much more signal can be applied before
Limiting occurs).
0 dB OUTPUT HEADROOM remaining is indicated by a red indicator. When lit, any additional signal causes the Limiter to
operate. It is possible to “compress” the signal as much as 20 dB with very little effect on sound quality. This gives the
MA 3 the overload characteristics of a much larger amplifier, without the use of external compressors. The MA 3 was
designed to be driven hard (heavily compressed signal) so it is not necessary to buy extra power to obtain the headroom
required to prevent overload.
3 dB OUTPUT HEADROOM remaining is indicated by a yellow indicator. When lit, 3 dB of additional signal may be
applied before Limiting.
6 dB OUTPUT HEADROOM remaining is indicated by a green indicator. When lit, 6 dB of additional signal may be
applied before Limiting.
12 dB OUTPUT HEADROOM remaining is indicated by a green indicator. When lit, 12 dB of additional signal may be
applied before Limiting.
ቤ PWR: This yellow indicator lights when power is applied to the unit. See ብ below.
ብ POWER switch: This control obediently turns the MA 3 on and off every time you poke it with your finger. Poking the top
half of the switch turns the unit on when it is off. Poking the bottom portion of the switch turns the unit off when it it on. All
three Channels have turn-on and turn-off muting to reduce switching transients.