XTA 5 Series - Manual (Page 45)

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Quadrant/Mode II: “Cut Above”
This is one of the more traditional modes of operation. Having selected the frequency band to work with, the dynamic eq
will listen to this band and act upon it by cutting(compressing) any frequencies present in it that go above the
predetermined threshold. Consider the example below where the threshold is set to –20dB, and the selected frequency
band is centred around 1kHz, with a ‘Q’ of 1.0.
Signals below the threshold will pass unaltered, but as increasing signal is applied, those frequencies centred around 1kHz
will be cut or compressed. The ratio in the above example is set at 2:1 so, as with any compressor, the amount of gain
reduction applied depends on how much the signal exceeds the threshold. The
red line represents a signal at 0dB, which
is 20dB above the threshold. At 1kHz, therefore, the signal has been compressed to –10dB or 2:1.
Uses of “Cut Above” mode.
Traditional use of ‘frequency conscious’ compression is to control or ‘tame’ a certain band of frequencies within the
program material. Insertion of EQ into the sidechain will make the compressor respond to the required band, but it will
cause broadband compression of the signal, so any peaks will cause the entire signal to be compressed. This produces the
familiar problem of dulling the material if it is bass-heavy, or causing unnecessary dips and changes in ambience when
attempting to remove sibilance.
The difference with dynamic EQ is that only the band selected is compressed. This means that it becomes possible to
compress the low frequency content of material without affecting the high frequencies at all. The result is increased
volume and perceived level without sacrificing clarity. Any instance where the desired result is to control a band of
frequencies, such as de-essing, or de-popping, without affecting the surrounding frequency ranges is an ideal use for this
mode.
Try de-essing with the filter centred at 8-9kHz, and a relatively narrow ‘Q’ of
3.2, and a maximum gain of 12dB, attack 1mS, release 100mS.