Lexicon MX500 Owner's Manual page 35

Effects Descriptions
MX500
Frequency
Selects the frequency range of compression from 1600Hz to 10kHz (the most common
frequencies in which excessive sibilance occurs).
Bandwidth
Controls the bandwidth or "Quality" (Q) of frequency range. The higher the selected
value, the tighter the bandwidth, and less apparent the de-essing effect is.
Threshold
Determines the threshold above which compression begins, incrementally between
–70dB and 0dB.
Gain
Increases the output level to compensate for signal attenuation during compression.
Incremental between 0dB (no gain) to +12dB.
Attack
Attack adjusts the attack time constant, determining how quickly the compressor
responds to increasing input level. This should normally be set quite low to allow the
compressor to react to sharp transients.
Release
Release allows adjustment of the release time constant, determining how quickly the
compressor responds to decreasing input level. This should normally be set long. Short
release times may cause an effect similar to "pumping" in an analog compressor.
Knee
In Hard Knee mode, the threshold of compression is defined as that point above which
the output level no longer changes on a 1:1 basis with changes in the input level. See
Figure 1.
In Soft Knee mode, the threshold of compression is defined as the middle of the threshold
region, that is, "half-way" into compression, as shown in Figure 2.
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