Gate; Dyn - Midas M32 User Manual

gate

The gate tab displays all aspects of the channel
noise gate, and allows for very deep control of the
gate effect. Whereas the top panel's dedicated
GATE section allows control of the gate's thresh-
old and in/out status, the gate tab offers many
more controls. This tab can be accessed directly by
pressing the VIEW button in the top panel GATE
section.
The gate tab contains the following param-
eters, divided among two pages, that can be
adjusted using the six rotary controls:
Page 1
1. Adjust the first rotary control to set the input threshold of the gate.
2. Tap the first control to toggle the noise gate in/out of the signal path.
3. Adjust the second control to set the range of a 'ducking effect applied to the channel.
4. Tap the second control to toggle the ducker effect in/out of the signal path.
5. Adjust the third control to set the attack time of the onset of the noise gate effect.
6. Adjust the fourth control to set the hold time of the noise gate effect.
7. Adjust the fifth control to set the release time of the noise gate, controlling how quickly the gate opens up and lets
the signal through.
Page 2
1. Rotary controls 1 & 2 function the same on pages 1 & 2.
2. Adjust the fourth control to set the frequency of the key filter that can be used to trigger the noise gate.
3. Tap the fourth control to toggle the key filter on/off, allowing a specific frequency to control the gate.
4. Adjust the fifth control to set the steepness of the EQ slope used in the key filter.
5. Tap the fifth control to send the key source to the solo bus, allowing the key source to be monitored and evaluated.
6. Adjust the sixth control to select the specific key source to be used. Choices include 'Self' (the channel's own sig-
nal), as well as any other input/output of the console.
7. Tap the sixth control to assign the selected key source to the gate.

dyn

The dynamics tab displays all aspects of the channel compressor, and allows for very deep control of the effect. Whereas
the top panel's dedicated compressor section allows control of the threshold and in/out status, the dyn tab offers many
more controls. This tab can be accessed directly by pressing the VIEW button in the top panel DYNAMICS section.
The dyn tab contains the following parameters that can be adjusted using the six rotary controls:
Page 1
1. Adjust the first rotary control to set the input threshold of the compressor.
54
2. Tap the first control to toggle the com-
pressor in/out of the signal path.
3. Adjust the second control to set the ratio
of the compressor.
4. Tap the second control to switch the chan-
nel dynamics effect between compression
and expansion.
5. Adjust the third control to set the attack
time of the compressor effect.
6. Tap the third control to switch the com-
pressor between Peak and RMS (root
mean squared) mode, where the average level of the signal is evaluated more than any specific peak of the chan-
nel material.
• PEAK: A peak-sensing compressor responds to the instantaneous level of the peak signal. While providing
tighter peak control, peak sensing might yield very quick changes in gain reduction, more evident compres-
sion, or sometimes even distortion. This mode is suitable for control/limiting of dynamic material.
• RMS: In this mode, the compressor applies an average function on the input signal before its level is compared
to the threshold. This allows a more relaxed compression that also more closely relates to our perception of
loudness. Sharp dynamic transients will be less affected in this mode. This mode is good for controlling levels
in a mix.
7. Turn the fourth control to adjust the hold time of the compressor.
• Hold time is a parameter not often found on commercial units, but is very useful. If a compressor is set to use a
very fast attack/release time, audible distortion can occur, because the compressor is trying to work on individ-
ual waveform cycles of the signal instead of the sound envelope as a whole. The Hold parameter works around
this issue by providing a short delay. This delay prevents the compressor from releasing until a certain period of
time has elapsed.
8. Tap the fourth control to switch between Linear and Logarithmic modes for the compressor. Following are some
brief descriptions of those different modes:
LOG: This mode is used in many well-respected compressors and is the natural result of more recent analogue
units employing logarithmic side chains and resistor/capacitor time constants. The exponential/dB law has some
interesting characteristics. Firstly the time taken to complete a compression event tends to stay the same however
large the dynamic signal excursion is. Also, since the peak rate of gain change increases with dynamic excursion,
the resulting harmonic content due to compress tends to follow the loudness of the signal in a way that the ear
expects. This helps to mask the effect of the compressor and thus provides the most forgiving solution, being
tolerant of differing timing settings and signal material. This makes it the best choice for general compression use
and overall dynamic control of complex musical signals.
LINEAR: In this mode, the rate if gain change is constant (as set by the timing controls). Therefore the greater the
signal dynamic excursion, the longer the compressor will take to complete a gain change. Also, since the total
time that the compressor spends in attack or decay is proportional to the size of the gain excursion, the harmonic
content of the compression artefact will seem to reduce in frequency content, the louder the signal excursion. This
type of compressor is useful for generating dynamic sound effects because the sonic character of the compressor is
much more affected by time control settings and signal material than the exponential type.
www.theaudiospecialists.eu
M32 - Digital Console User Manual
55