Subsonicbass
03-13-2003, 11:49 AM
Do you have a stereo compressor? Want to make to most of both channels? Well you could use one channel between your preamp and amp and the other for a DI to the mixer. Or you could share an extra channel with the lead vocalist, kick drum, or even a guitarist.
Most of us want to make available the maximum apparent volume possible from our Solid State Power Amps, and proper use of a compressor can contribute extra db.
Normally, for maximum level you’d just set the output gain as high as possible, short of incurring audible distortion. But I recommend optimizing in two passes. For example, instead of increasing the loudness by 6dB, do one pass with a 3dB increase, and a second with an additional 3dB increase. This does the best job at combining natural sound and high level while providing two additional gain stages to the power amp.
Daisy Chain both halves of the Stereo Compressor by patching channel one output into channel two input.
Bass>Preamp>Channel 1 Input>Channel 1 Output>Channel 2 Input>Channel 2 Output>Amp
Turn off gating. Compressor gating is better designed for vocals and drums. It really cuts into your stringed instruments sustain. Another Noise Suppressor/Gate designed for guitar/bass will cut the noise and keep the sustain. Recommendation: Rocktron Hush, Boss Pro NS-50, or other high quailty noise suppression.
You can place noise control & line level effects after the preamp and before the compressor, or if everything works better with a hotter signal... between channel one and channel two of the compressor.
Use Enhancer's and Sonic Maximizer's after the compression, last in the signal chain before the power amp.
Channel 1:
Threshold: -10db,
Ratio 4:1
Soft Knee Compression
Attack: 30 ms
Release: @ 0.25
Output: Boost +3db
Set Peak Limiter (+16db) or to where it barely flashes on your strongest open low string slap. Setting depends on your preamp output.
O.K., these seem like reasonable compressor settings. The magic is in the second channel that maintains dynamics and raises the headroom thus making the amp louder.The trick is just "re-compressing" the peaks only.
Therefore the noise floor does not go up and the remaining high energy peaks are tamed, not limited, for more headroom without over compressing the dynamic signal.
Channel 2:
Threshold: 0db to +3 db
This Threshold setting allows Channel 1 to duck under this setting and therefore only the peaks that reach 0db -/+3db are processed by Channel 2. This will process only the louder peaks.
Ratio: 6:1
Hard Knee Compression
Attack (Fast Setting): 1 - 10 ms
Fast Attack times cause "click."
This phenomenon is eliminated by the Attack setting on the Channel 1, and the Channel 2 Threshold also protects against click. A very fast Attack is necessary on Channel 2 in order to have the Peaks acted on a fast as possible, thus extending headroom.
Release: A touch above 0.25 ms.
Output: +3 to +5db, this gives an additional gain stage, don't push to distortion.
Peak Limiter: to taste...
Or the slightest flash with the the hardest slap on open E
{suggestion @ set at +16 db.}
Most of us want to make available the maximum apparent volume possible from our Solid State Power Amps, and proper use of a compressor can contribute extra db.
Normally, for maximum level you’d just set the output gain as high as possible, short of incurring audible distortion. But I recommend optimizing in two passes. For example, instead of increasing the loudness by 6dB, do one pass with a 3dB increase, and a second with an additional 3dB increase. This does the best job at combining natural sound and high level while providing two additional gain stages to the power amp.
Daisy Chain both halves of the Stereo Compressor by patching channel one output into channel two input.
Bass>Preamp>Channel 1 Input>Channel 1 Output>Channel 2 Input>Channel 2 Output>Amp
Turn off gating. Compressor gating is better designed for vocals and drums. It really cuts into your stringed instruments sustain. Another Noise Suppressor/Gate designed for guitar/bass will cut the noise and keep the sustain. Recommendation: Rocktron Hush, Boss Pro NS-50, or other high quailty noise suppression.
You can place noise control & line level effects after the preamp and before the compressor, or if everything works better with a hotter signal... between channel one and channel two of the compressor.
Use Enhancer's and Sonic Maximizer's after the compression, last in the signal chain before the power amp.
Channel 1:
Threshold: -10db,
Ratio 4:1
Soft Knee Compression
Attack: 30 ms
Release: @ 0.25
Output: Boost +3db
Set Peak Limiter (+16db) or to where it barely flashes on your strongest open low string slap. Setting depends on your preamp output.
O.K., these seem like reasonable compressor settings. The magic is in the second channel that maintains dynamics and raises the headroom thus making the amp louder.The trick is just "re-compressing" the peaks only.
Therefore the noise floor does not go up and the remaining high energy peaks are tamed, not limited, for more headroom without over compressing the dynamic signal.
Channel 2:
Threshold: 0db to +3 db
This Threshold setting allows Channel 1 to duck under this setting and therefore only the peaks that reach 0db -/+3db are processed by Channel 2. This will process only the louder peaks.
Ratio: 6:1
Hard Knee Compression
Attack (Fast Setting): 1 - 10 ms
Fast Attack times cause "click."
This phenomenon is eliminated by the Attack setting on the Channel 1, and the Channel 2 Threshold also protects against click. A very fast Attack is necessary on Channel 2 in order to have the Peaks acted on a fast as possible, thus extending headroom.
Release: A touch above 0.25 ms.
Output: +3 to +5db, this gives an additional gain stage, don't push to distortion.
Peak Limiter: to taste...
Or the slightest flash with the the hardest slap on open E
{suggestion @ set at +16 db.}