Alesis 3630 manual Introduction

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing the Alesis 3630 Dual Channel Compressor/ Limiter with Gate. This cost-effective gain control device complements any studio with several important features. For more information on the significance of these features, refer to the Appendix "About Compression and Limiting."

•Stereo or dual mono operation. The 3630 can serve as two totally in- dependent units, or both sections can be strapped together for stereo operation. In stereo, gain changes in one section are "tracked" by the other section to eliminate wandering of the stereo image.

•Peak or RMS response. Determines whether the limiter will base its operation on signal peaks or average signal levels. Each has its uses with different types of signals (for example, peak with drums, and av- erage with complex program material).

•"Hard knee" or "soft knee" response. Each type of response gives a different limiting action. The hard knee response is generally consid- ered more "severe," and the soft knee response, more "musical."

•Individual bypass switches for each channel. This makes it easy to compare the processed and unprocessed sounds.

•Side chain connections. Insert EQs and other devices for applications such as de-essing (removing sibilance), adding treble to limited sig- nals, "keying" one signal with another, "ducking" (e.g., making a sig- nal such as background music become lower in volume in response to another signal, such as narration), and other applications.

•+4 dBu or -10dBV operation. This provides signal level compatibility with nearly all studio setups.

•Front panel knob calibrations. Knobs are calibrated to allow for easy setup and operation.

•Built-in stereo/dual mono noise gate. This can reduce noise when compressing or limiting. Each section can also operate as a stand- alone noise gate.

•Extensive metering. Each channel has a 12-LED display to indicate the amount of gain reduction, a second 12-LED display to show input/ output levels, and a dual-LED display to indicate noise gate status.

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