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Range Control
The Range control sets the level to which the Ex-
pander will close, once the input signal has
fallen below the Threshold setting. Range is
from 0 dB (no expansion) to infinity ( dB). In
general, use a much smaller range setting than
you would with a Gate.
Bypass Switch
The Bypass toggle switch bypasses the Ex-
pander.
Expander Gain Reduction (GR) Meter
This ten-element LED meter indicates from 0 dB
to 90 dB of gain reduction. The number of illu-
minated LEDs will change as the Range control
is adjusted, indicating the maximum gain re-
duction achievable.
Suggestions for Using the
Expander
The fastest way to begin using the Expander is to
choose one of the presets in the Librarian menu.
(See the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide for details.) Al-
ternatively, create your own settings using the
procedure that follows.
12
Drawmer Dynamics Plug-Ins Guide
To use the Expander:
Bypass the Compressor by clicking the Com-
1
pressor Bypass toggle.
Select the desired amount of reduction using
2
the Range control.
Set the Attack and Release controls based on
3
the character of the audio material you want to
expand. For material with long, legato release,
set a long Release. For material with a lots of low
frequency content, set a slow Attack. For sharp,
percussive sounds, set a short Attack.
Set the Ratio control based on the character of
4
the audio material. Try a maximum setting of
2.5:1 for vocals, and higher ratios for dynamic,
full mix material.
Adjust the Threshold control until the the ver-
5
tical VU meter and the Expander Gain Reduc-
tion (GR) meter begin to light.
As a rule, the Threshold should be between 6 dB
to 10 dB below the average input level. Use a
section of audio material with pauses and adjust
the threshold to be as low a dB level as possible
while still attenuating the noise during pauses.
Listen carefully to how the sounds come in after
the pauses and how cleanly they fade away
again. If the Expander changes the sound in an
unacceptable way, the Threshold is probably set
too high.
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