Rocktron Utopia G200B w/Banshee - Manual (Page 28)

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The HUSH ® function is accessible in all pr esets - r egar d less of the configur ation cur r ently r ecalled .
HUSH is a patented single-ended noise reduction system. The HUSH system contained in the UTO-
PIA G200B, though modeled after the latest analog HUSH design, is a fully digital implementation
achieved through Digital Signal Processing (DSP).
The low level expander of the HUSH system operates like an electronic volume control. The analog
ver sion of the HUSH utilizes a voltage-contr olled amplifier (VCA) cir cuit which can contr ol the gain
between the input and the output from unity to 30, 40 or even 50(dB) of gain reduction. When the input
signal is above the user pr eset thr eshold point, the VCA cir cuit r emains at unity gain. (This means that
the amplitude of the output signal will be equal to that of the input signal.) As the input signal level
drops below the user preset threshold point, downward expansion begins. At this point the expander acts
like an electronic volume control and gradually begins to decrease the output signal level relative to the
input signal level. As the input signal drops further below the threshold point, downward expansion in-
creases. A drop in the input level by 20(dB) would cause the output level to drop approximately 40(dB)
(i.e., 20(dB) of gain reduction). In the absence of any input signal, the expander will reduce the gain so
that the noise floor becomes inaud ible.
The HUSH circuit is located after the A/D converter in the signal chain to reduce any noise gener-
ated from the Guitar and the A/D converter. This ensures a quiet input signal to the preamp section.
Because the preamp section of the UTOPIA G200B is digital, it is virtually noise-free (even for the high-
6. HUSH ® Function
The HUSH I/O par ameter simply d eter mines whether the HUSH® cir cuit is ac-
tive for the current preset.
The EXP THR ESHOLD (Expaner Thr eshold ) par ameter d eter mines the level at
which d ownwar d expansion begins. For example, if the EXP THR ESHOLD was
set at -20(dB) and the input signal dropped below -20(dB), downward expansion
would begin.
HUSH I/O
EXP
THRESHOLD
gain channels). Therefore, a quiet input signal to the preamp will result in a quiet output signal.
The PARAMETER SELECT knob will allow you to access these Hush parameters: