Crown IQAMB-5, IQSMX-6 manual Duck Priority, Input Compressor, Auto Level

AMB-5 /SMX-6IQ Mixer/Multiplexer

+25 dB in 1/2-dB steps.

•Gate Threshold: the input level above which the gate will “open” and below which the gate will “close.” Control range is from –100 to +25 dB in 1/2-dB steps.

•Low Set: the gain setting that will be used when the gate is “closed.” Control range is from –100 to +25 dB in 1/2-dB steps.

•Delay: determines how long the gate will stay open after the incoming signal drops below the Threshold. Control range is from 0.2 to 30 sec- onds.

4.2.7 Duck Priority

“Ducking” is the attenuation of an input when an- other input with a higher priority is activated by the Gate function. When the higher priority gate opens, all inputs with lower priorities drop or “duck” to their Low Set values. Up to six levels of priority can be established between input channels. With the IQ– SMX-6, each output channel can have a different priority structure. There are two different parameters which control this feature:

•Duck Priority On/Off: turns this feature on or off.

•Duck Priority Level: a setting from 1 to 6 where 1 is highest priority and 6 is lowest prior- ity. Each VCA is set independently.

4.2.8 Input Compressor

The input compressor/limiter function “reins in” input signals that suddenly become too loud. The compressor is a feed-forward type, which performs the compression after the level sen- sor. This allows it to work more smoothly than conventional-type compressors. There are pa- rameters which control this feature:

•Compressor/Limiter On/Off: This control turns the function on or off for the indicated in- put/output channel.

•Max Gain: the gain setting when no compres- sion is taking place. Control range is from –100 to +25 in 1/2-dB steps.

•Threshold: the input level above which com- pression begins. A signal at this level or below is not affected. Control range is from –100 to +25 in 1/2-dB steps.

*There is only one Max Gain that is shared among all of the Auto functions that use it. This means that if you change the Max Gain on one page of the Auto functions, the Max Gain is changed for all pages.

•Compression Ratio: the amount of compres- sion that is applied for every step over the Threshold. Choices are 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 16:1, 32:1, infinity:1.

•Release Time: determines how long it takes for the gain to return to normal once the level drops below the Threshold. Control range is from 0.2, to 30 seconds.

•Slow Compression (IQ–SMX-6 only): This control applies to all input channels. When Slow Compression is set to off, the compressor is set to the fastest attack time possible. This will be very fast—so fast the compressor can stop extremely sudden transients like the sound caused by a dropped microphone. This is a good setting for rapid speech. You can turn the Slow Compression on for more gentle sound sources such as most music.

4.2.9 Auto Level

Auto Level is designed to control long-term changes in signal level. With Auto Level on, the average output level can be kept relatively constant over a longer time interval while transients are allowed to pass. Auto Level creates a more natural sound with increased dynamic range. There are five different parameters which control this feature:

•Auto Level On/Off: This control turns the func- tion on or off for the indicated input/output channel.

•Max Gain: the upper limit for input gain. This level serves as a gain “ceiling” when the Auto Level function is attempting to raise the gain on a low-level signal. Control range is from –100 to +25 in 1/2-dB steps

•Auto Level control: sets the desired average output level. This level can best be understood as a “target” level. If the output signal level is above this level, the gain will be reduced to at- tempt to hit this target. Likewise, if the output signal is lower than this level, the gain will be increased. In no case will the gain level be set to greater than Max Gain. Control range is from –100 to +25 in 1/2-dB steps.

•Idle Gain: controls the initial gain when the gate first opens. Idle Gain can be thought of as the “starting gain” because it overrides the Max Gain when the gate opens, and can compen- sate for undesirable side-effects caused by Max Gain being set above the Auto Level value. Start with Idle Gain equal to Max Gain.

IQ–AMB-5 / IQ–SMX-6 Reference Manual Page 17