Operation - Omnitronic GEQ-231 FD User Manual

In the recording studio and on stage, graphic equalizers are generally used for three distinct purposes:
1.) ROOM EQUALIZATION: Every room adds its own "character" to the sound of music played in it because
of the way the walls, floors, ceilings, furnishings and people absorb or reflect the sound waves. Every room
boosts some frequencies and attenuates others in this way. So graphic equalizers are used, in this context,
to compensate for the "damage" done to the sound by the room itself.
2.) FEEDBACK CONTROL: Without a graphic equalizer, it is quite difficult to stop feedback (that piercing,
whistling sound that happens when microphones pick-up and reamplify the sound from the speakers). A
graphic equalizer can zero in on the offending frequency and reduce it, leaving the rest of the music
unchanged.
3.) CREATIVE RECORDING: Graphic equalizers are routinely used to make certain sounds "brighter" or
"fuller" or even radically different, depending on the creative whims of the operator. A voice can be made to
sound as though it's coming through a telephone line, for example. An acoustic guitar can be given a metallic
sparkle. A kick drum can get more "snap". It may be a cliché, but it's true: With a graphic equalizer, you are
only limited by your own imagination!

OPERATION

Front panel
1. POWER Switch - Turns power to the equalizer on and off. Be sure to power-up before your power
amplifier is turned on to avoid loud transients which could damage your speakers or annoy your audience.
2. FREQUENCY Faders - Move these sliders upwards to boost a specific frequency. Move them downwards
cut (decrease) them. When moving these controls past zero, you will feel the center-detent (notch) in the
control which makes it very easy to find zero in a hurry, or even in the dark.
3. LED Level-Meter / FEEDBACK LEDs - Let(s) you keep an eye on the signal level in order to avoid
distortion.
4. EQUALIZER RANGE Selector - One of the reasons to use a graphic equalizer is that the frequency
sliders themselves form a graphic depiction of the frequency response curve you have set. But if your
settings are very subtle, the "graph" becomes difficult to set and see. If you encounter this difficulty, simply
push this Range Selector Switch. You can reduce the maximum boost/cut range of the frequency sliders
from 15 dB to 6 dB and make your adjustments, taking advantage of the greater fader travel necessary to
get the same amount of hoost or cut.
5. THRESHOLD Control - Adjusts the threshold value of the Feedback LEDs.
6. FILTER Selector - This switch activates the filters.
7. EQ BYPASS Selector - This switch allows instant comparison of the original sound with the equalized
sound.
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