dbx DriveRack PA User Manual page 50

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DriveRack
Appendix A
Once you have found the clip point of your amplifiers, you can mark this position and turn the
amplifiers back up to the point where they are clipping. You can now use the output limiters
in the DriveRack PA to protect the amplifier from clipping no matter what you do at the con-
sole. With the amplifiers clipping, now go to the Limiter page of the DriveRack PA and turn
the limiter for each output band on. Make sure that the threshold is all the way up to +20dB.
Now slowly reduce the threshold until the clip indicator of the amplifier turns off. You have
successfully set the output limiter up and the amplifier will not be able to go into clipping no
matter what the input is. You should now proceed to the next output band and go through the
same process. If you are using a sine wave to create clipping in your amplifier you should
make sure that the sine wave is within the frequency range of the output band that your are
working with. Once all the limiters are set up you can now turn the amplifiers back down to
the gain maximized position. The Wizard will automatically set your limiters based on your
choice of amplifier. Because of component variances within the amplifier circuitry, you may
need to adjust the limiter settings by a few dB after running the Wizard to ensure that they are
set correctly.
Once all the limiters are set up and the gain is maximized, reduce the output of your console
and reconnect your speakers. Now for the fun part, sit back and send your favorite music
through the system. If your system is not loud enough, you may want to consider an amplifi-
er or amplifiers with greater output power. Most loudspeaker manufacturers recommend an
amplifier that can provide 1.5 to 2 times the rated RMS power of the speaker. If this setting is
too loud when your speakers are reconnected you can turn down the amplifier input attenua-
tors even more.
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