Drawmer MX60 Pro Front End One - Manual (Page 15)

Tubesound
The Tubesound section is a purely creative tool, so it's up to you how you use
it. To create subtle tube amp or tube mic effects, apply the Drive controls
sparingly and back off if any distortion becomes audible. However, some
instrument sounds will benefit from higher settings where the distortion is used
as an effect. Using small amounts of high and low Drive with the mid Drive
control turned right down will produce a 'loudness curve' effect while at the
same time enhancing high frequency detail. As a rule, distortion will be most
evident in the mid band as this is the section of the audio spectrum to which
the human ear is most sensitive.
The audible effect of TubeSound is greatly increased when compression is used,
so it will probably be necessary to reduce Drive if compression is increased.
As in the case of EQ boost, the output level reaching the limiter is affected by the
use of TubeSound, particularly if all three bands are driven above mid range. Use
the Dynamics gain control to back off the signal level if necessary to avoid
limiting.
Output
The output limiter is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, but in normal
circumstances, the red hard limit light should come on rarely if at all. When
recording to a digital machine, the limiter can be used to help prevent digital
overloads on unexpected signal peaks. To do this, feed a signal into the MX60,
then increase the input Gain so that the limit LEDs are always on. Next, adjust
the output fader level so that the signal feeding the digital recorder registers just
below full scale on the recorder's own meters. Once the input gain has been reset
so that the clip light doesn't normally light, the limiter will only come on if a signal
peak occurs that would otherwise cause the digital recorder to overload. The
MX60's output stage can add up to 15dB of gain in order to produce adequate
output level to drive digital recorders where a nominal +4dBu signal may register
only around !12dB FSD on the record meters.
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