Front Panel Metering - Alesis 3630 Reference Manual

Example: To remove hiss from a guitar amp signal, set the Threshold just
above the residual hiss while muting the guitar strings. Playing guitar
should produce a signal higher than the threshold, letting through the
notes. When the guitar is not playing, the residual hiss signal should be
below the threshold, closing the gate.
Rate (20 ms to 2 seconds)
When a signal dips below the threshold, Rate determines how long it
takes for the gate to fade smoothly from the gate open to gate closed set-
ting. Shorter settings provide maximum hiss reduction but tend to create
a "choppier" sound. Longer settings gain a smoother response at the
expense of possibly letting a little hiss come through after the input signal
dips below the threshold.

1.7 FRONT PANEL METERING

The 3630's three meters for each channel indicate several important
parameters.
Gain Reduction Meter (-1 to -30 dB)
This compares the processed and unprocessed sounds, and shows the
amount of gain reduction being applied to the input signal.
Example: A meter reading of -6 dB indicates that the 3630 is attenuating the
input signal by at least 6 dB in order to keep it at the threshold level. The
more lights that are lit, the greater the amount of limiting, and the more
processed the sound.
Input/Output Meter (-30 to +6 dBu)
This monitors the input or output signal, as selected by the Input/Output
switch. This is useful when matching input and output levels, or to
compare the signal level prior to limiting with the signal level that occurs
after limiting.
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