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Summary of Contents for Harman DBX 162SL
- Page 1 ® 162SL C o m p r e s s o r / L i m i t e r User Manual...
- Page 2 IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS WARNING FOR YOUR PROTECTION C A U T I O N READ THE FOLLOWING: R I S K O F E L E C T R I C S H O C K D O N O T O P E N KEEP THESE INSTRUCTIONS A T T E N T I O N : R I S Q U E D E C H O C E L E C T R I Q U E - N E P A S O U V R I R...
- Page 3 Sandy, Utah 84070, USA declares that the product: Operation of this unit within significant Product name: dbx 162SL electromagnetic fields should be avoided. Note: Product name may be suffixed by the • use only shielded interconnecting letters-EU.
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Page 4: Table Of Contents
Introduction ............Why you need compression . -
Page 5: Introduction
Why You Need A Compressor A remarkable feature of the human ear is that it can detect an extremely wide range of amplitude changes - from the slightest whisper to a deafening clap of thunder. If one tries to record or reproduce this wide spectrum of sound with the help of amplifiers, cassette recorders, records, or even digital recorders, one is immediately restricted by the physical limitations of electronic and acoustic sound reproduction technology. -
Page 6: The Difference Between Compressors And Limiters
Clipping Clipped signal heavily distorted Headroom Operating Level Dynamic Range Useable dynamic range Noise Floor Audio levels below here are not heard, because of noise The Difference Between Compressors and Limiters By measuring the dynamic range of musical instruments in live recording situations, you will experience extreme amplitudes which will often lead to overload in subsequent signal processing equipment. -
Page 7: The Compression And Limiting Effects
The Compression and Limiting Effects On a compressor, there is a relationship between the input signal, and the threshold level, input, out- put, and ratio settings. Look at an input signal applied to the inputs of two compressors. The threshold level of the second unit is set ten decibels higher than the threshold of the first unit. -
Page 8: Limiters And Peakstopplus
The advantage of program dependent compression is most apparent when processing musi- cal material that is varied. The dbx 162SL Stereo Compressor is suitable for all applications because of the ability to manually set both attack and release parameters. -
Page 9: Features
GAIN control. If the output gain is set too high as compared to the PeakStopPlus Level control, con- tinuous limiting can occur. While PeakStopPlus is typically used as a protective function, creative effects can be achieved by intentionally driving the signal into heavy PeakStopPlus limiting. Great care has gone into the design of the PeakStopPlus limiter to keep it acoustically transparent. -
Page 11: Connection To Your System
Connections The 162SL is connected for operation using the rear panel XLR or 1/4” connectors. Note that the two rear panel input sections have a push-switch which lifts the contact on pin #1 (ground). Keep this switch in the OFF position (pin #1 connected) until all connections are made. Be sure that your input and out- put cables are wired in the “pin 2/tip”... -
Page 12: Operating Controls
Front Panel Controls OverEasy Switch This switch activates/deactivates the OverEasy characteristics of the 162SL. When ® ® the switch is IN, the 162SL is in O mode. OverEasy is a process which allows the user to compress a signal more gently than a hard knee compressor through the threshold region. This action produces a much smoother “natural-sounding”... - Page 13 increase in output level, regardless of how far the set threshold level is exceeded. This occurs in both OverEasy® and hard knee operation. Note that when a compressor is set to a compression ratio of 10:1 or more, it may be considered to be LIMITING the input signal, especially when a fast attack time is selected.
- Page 14 PeakStopPlus ® Switch and LED : The dynamics of the dbx 162SL are set to handle fast transients through PeakStop ® limiting and the newer PeakStopPlus. PeakStop is the process first introduced on the dbx 165A compressor/limiter. PeakStop is made up of an extremely fast-reacting detector, called Instantaneous Transient Clamp.
- Page 15 Bypass Switch and LED : This switch activates a hard-wire relay bypass system, which allows the audio signal to pass through the compressor directly from input to output, even when the 162SL is turned off. That is to say that the XLR Pin 2 at the input connector is directly connected to the XLR Pin 2 at the output connector, and the XLR Pin 3 at the input connector is directly connected to the XLR Pin 3 at the output connector.
- Page 16 Note that the gain reduction scale is linear in dB as opposed to the standard VU markings on the upper scale on which input and output levels are monitored. This allows for easy visual indication of gain reduction, as it can be read in a fraction of a second, with only a fleeting glance from the engineer.
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Page 17: Rear Panel Description
POWER PHONE: XLR: PIN 1 RING PIN 2 SLEEVE PIN 3 28 WATTS CHANNEL 2 CHANNEL 1 OUTPUTS INTPUTS OUTPUTS INTPUTS SIDECHAIN SIDECHAIN +4 dBu +4 dBu FUSE REPLACEMENT RATINGS RETURN SEND RETURN SEND 100V-120V T 400mA L 250V -10 dBV LIFT -10 dBV LIFT... -
Page 19: Operating Notes
OverEasy ® And Hard Knee In a typical hard-knee compressor, the threshold control sets a reference level above which input sig- nals will be attenuated in the manner defined by the setting of the Compression ratio control. Input sig- nals which fall below this level will pass through unprocessed. With OverEasy compression, signals begin to gradually activate the 162SL's gain change circuitry as they approach the threshold reference level and they do not get fully processed in the manner defined by the Compression control until they have passed somewhat above the threshold reference level. -
Page 20: Using The Stereo Couple Switch
Using The Stereo Couple Switch Two channels of program material do not necessarily constitute a stereo program. A stereo program is one where the two channels are recorded and/or mixed to create the illusion of a single unified panorama of sound. The stability of the psychoacoustic image of each sound source within the stereo spectrum depends upon its ability to maintain a specific phase and amplitude relationship from the left to the right channel. -
Page 21: Using Peakstop®/Peakstopplus
trols. This faster attack time allows the transients to by captured and compressed without overshoot and allows a quick release from compression without “punching holes” in the sound. There is no right way to set the Attack and Release controls. Generally, you want a slow enough attack to avoid pumping or breathing sounds caused when background sounds are audibly modulated by the dominant signal energy, yet the release must be fast enough to avoid suppression of the desired signal after a sudden transient or a loud note has decayed. -
Page 22: Specific Applications
While PeakStopPlus™ is typically used as a protective function, creative effects can be achieved by inten- tionally driving the signal into heavy PeakStopPlus™ limiting. Great care has gone into the design of the PeakStopPlus™ limiter to keep it acoustically transparent. Appropriate use of it can protect your gear while keeping the signal free of artifacts. -
Page 23: Sidechain Applications
tions. Vocalists and musicians don't get the sense of being held back, but high average levels can be maintained without speaker damage due to excessive heat buildup. In circumstances where the 162SL is expected to cause no change in gain unless an emergency arises (wildly excessive levels), some operators set the compression ratio to ∞:1, the threshold to the highest permissible level, and set the stop level so that it just barely cuts in when the 162SL is driven into heavy gain reduction. - Page 24 not cause compression, and the program is not subject to the phase shift normally caused by program equalization. During the recording of cymbals and tom-toms, a compressor with an equalizer in the sidechain path can help prevent tape saturation. The equalizer can be adjusted for boost with a peak of about 5kHz, causing the cymbal to be compressed on a very loud crash, stopping tape saturation at high frequen- cies, where there is less headroom.
- Page 25 Anticipated Compression By feeding the program directly to the 162SL's sidechain return and sending the audio signal through a delay line before the audio input, the unit can anticipate the need for a gain change. See diagram on the following page. With some experimentation, the effect can be that of zero attack time at a given fre- quency.
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Page 27: Technical Support/Factory Service
Technical Support If you require technical support, contact dbx Customer Service. Be prepared to accurately describe the problem. Know the serial number of your unit - this is printed on a sticker attached to the rear panel. If you have not already taken the time to fill out your warranty registration card and send it in, please do so now. Factory Service Before you return a product to the factory for service, we recommend you refer to the manual. -
Page 29: Specifications
INPUTS Connectors: Female XLR and 1/4” TRS (Pin 2 and Tip hot) Type: Electronically balanced/unbalanced, RF filtered. Impedance: Balanced > 50 kΩ, unbalanced > 25 kΩ. Maximum Input Level: >+24dBu balanced and unbalanced. CMRR: >40dB; typically > 55dB at 1kHz OUTPUTS Connectors: Male XLR and 1/4”... - Page 30 FUNCTION SWITCHES Sidechain: Routes external sidechain input signal to the detector. OverEasy Activates the OverEasy‚ compression function. ® Auto: Activates automatic program-dependent attack and release times, disabling the manual attack and release controls. PeakStopPlus Activates the Intelligent Predictive Limiting® (Stage 2) section of the limiter. ®...
- Page 31 ® 8760 South Sandy Pkwy. Sandy, Utah 84070 Phone: (801) 568-7660 Fax: (801) 568-7662 Questions or comments? E•mail us at: customer@dbxpro.com or visit our World Wide Web home page at: www.dbxpro.com 18-0280-C...
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