dbx 576 Owner's Manual page 13

Compressor Controls (cont.)
RELEASE control:
The Release control sets how fast the compression circuit returns the input to its original level. The
release rate is from 250 dB/sec where compression follows the envelope of the program material very
tightly to 5 dB/sec for very smooth compression.
UNLINK Switch:
This switch determines whether the input to the Compressor section comes from the CompressorÕs
line input jack or from the output of the 576Õs Preamp. This is a convenience feature to allow you to
use the Preamp and Compressor as two independent processors if desired. When activated, this
switch unlinks the normal connection between the output of the Preamp and the input of the
Compressor. When de-activated, the Preamp and Compressor are placed in series for processing a sin-
gle signal source.
DRIVE control
This control sets the amount of gain that will be applied at the input of the vacuum tube stage present
in the Compressor section. When the 576Õs Compressor section is used independently of the Preamp
section, this control offers tube drive control (with its sonic stamp) to any signal routed through the
Compressor. When the Preamp and Compressor sections are connected in series a high Drive control
setting can be used in conjunction with a high drive setting on the Preamp section to offer Òover-the-
topÓ distortion effects.
SC (SIDECHAIN) ENABLE switch
This switch enables the Sidechain processing loop. The Sidechain in and out connectors on the 576
rear panel allow external processing of the CompressorÕs detector signal. This switch has no effect if
there is nothing plugged into the Sidechain loop even though the switch will light when pressed. For
more discussion of the Sidechain see page 16.
SC (SIDECHAIN) MON switch
This switch allows you to monitor the sound of the Sidechain processing. The switch will light when
pressed to indicate that you are listening to the Sidechain; not the main signal path.
CONTOUR switch
This switch adds a gentle low frequency de-emphasis into the detector path (this is identical to hav-
ing an equalizer in the Sidechain loop, only weÕve done it for you). This is extremely useful in keep-
ing low frequency program material from ÒmufflingÓ or Òpunching holes inÓ the compressed signal.
This feature allows faster attack times and higher compression ratios with less artifacts. The switch
will light indicating contouring is activated.
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