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EAW UMX.96 Owner's Manual
At this point, the gate is open. Once the gate opens, input signals are passed unchanged to the output. Any
change in the input level that is below threshold appears at the output quieter by the setting of the range
level (16 dB). Above the threshold, input signals pass unchanged to the output. This kind of input/output
behavior is the textbook example of a gate.
During operation, the input signal causes the green shaded area to move from left to right. The output
signal causes the blue shaded area to move from bottom to top. The red area represents the amount of gain
reduction begin applied (in this case, 16 dB).
12.2.7.3
Expander Operation and Graphic Display
An expander is a special case of a gate with a ratio of less than infinity to one. It makes signals below its
threshold setting quieter and quieter.
In this diagram, the Threshold setting is –24 dBFS and the Ratio is 1:1.5, which means that a 1 dB change in
the input signal becomes a 1.5 dB change in the output signal, until the input signal exceeds the threshold
level. Since this is an expander, the output gets 1.5 dB quieter for a 1 dB below-threshold change of the input
signal. As you can see, quiet signals (those below threshold) get even quieter.
In the picture, the input level is the horizontal (green) axis, and the output level is the vertical (blue) axis.
The red zone represents the amount of gain reduction caused by the input signal. Interpreting the diagram,
the input signal, at about –29 dBFS appears at the output at about –31.5 dBFS. Since the input signal is 5
dB below the threshold level, the output will be 7.5 dB (5 times 1.5) below the threshold level, or –31.5 dB.
The thickness of the red bar corresponds to the difference between the output with no expansion and the
output with expansion; which is the amount of gain reduction.
Like the gate, the expander has Attack and Release time controls and they function similarly: Attack deter-
mines how quickly the expander opens once the signal is above the threshold, and Release determines how
long it takes for the gain to fall to the setting of the range control once the signal falls below the threshold.
12.2.7.4
COMPRESSOR / LIMITER
The compressor operates in the same manner as an analog compressor. For input signals below the thresh-
old level, the input equals the output with make up gain applied. For input signals above the compression
12-16
Touchscreen Interface
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