Meters - PRESONUS FIRESTATION User Manual

4.4 Meters

The input meters above the preamps indicate signal strength. Turning
the preamps gain control too far clockwise could cause the preamp to
clip. The clip indicator light will be illuminated at this point. In order to
overdrive the input while still maintaining a useable recording level a
compressor/limiter is needed. Several high quality
compressors/limiters are available from Presonus. Some examples of
these products are the BlueMAX, ACP22, ACP88, and CL44. Please
refer to www.presonus.com for more details on these fine products.
4.5 +48V
Each preamp has a +48 volt phantom power switch. Phantom power is
required for some microphones. These microphones are referred to as
electrostatic or condenser. These microphones require an external
power source in order to operate.
4.6 Pad
A –20 dB pad is provided on each preamp. The pad drops the signal by
–20dB to accommodate higher level (louder) signals. The pad is
especially useful when using microphones that require phantom power.
NOTE: Often times phantom powered microphones produce a higher
level (louder) output, which is why the pad is useful when using these
(phantom/condenser) microphones.
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