BSS Audio DPR-504 Owner's Manual - Manual (Page 12)

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6.0 Getting started
The instructions in this section are intended to help those people unfamiliar
with noise gates and their terminology, and to provide a means of 'getting
started'. The DPR 504 has been designed to need the minimum of operator
knowledge and setup procedures, and is capable of producing excellent
results with the adjustment of only one control.
The front panel is divided equally into four identical sections, with each
section, or channel, being numbered on the IN switch. There is no difference
in operation between any of the four channels except in respect of LINK
switching. This is covered separately in section 7.8. The following discussions
apply to all channels equally.
In operation, the DPR 504 can be considered as an automatic on-off switch
that is placed into the signal line. The switching operation is controlled by the
loudness level and the frequency content of the signal. The best way to
understand its basic operation is to connect one channel to a program source
and operate the controls whilst listening to their effect.
Connect a suitable program source, such as a CD player, to one of the
channel inputs and a suitable monitoring system to the same channels output.
Section 5 shows the correct wiring configurations.
• Set all the switches to their 'out' positions.
• Set the threshold control to 'out'.
• Set the release control to 1 sec.
• Set the key filter control to 1kHz
• Set the width control to 10.
The gate open triangular LED will be illuminated and the program signal
should be heard at the same level as if it were not connected through the gate
channel.
This condition is known as 'bypass', and the gate is being forced to remain
open and pass the program unaffected.
Now push the IN switch. The red LED underneath will illuminate to confirm
that the gate is now in control, and the program signal level will drop to very
nearly nothing. The gate has closed and is cutting off the signal.
Now slowly rotate the threshold control anticlockwise and an indication will
start to show on the key level meter. Note that this display has two parts - a
single segment ahead of a bar display (refer to section 7.4 for more detail).
The single segment is responding to the peaks of the program material, and
the bar display is indicating the average volume level of the program. As soon
as the display exceeds the 'gate open' marker, the program signal will be
passed through to the output and the gate has 'opened'. Spend a few minutes
adjusting this control and watching the display.
For close-mic gating, as would be used on acoustic drums, the threshold
trigger point should be set close to the signal peaks to avoid spill triggering
effects from adjacent drums. In other applications, such as to remove low
level background electronic noise, a threshold trigger point might be used that
is a long way down from the program signal peaks to avoid losing any quiet
passages. Each application will require a slightly different approach to be
Getting started