Sound Performance Lab Parametric Equalizer owner manual Introduction

changing the filter settings. When broadening the band- width, the boost or cut will be reduced proportionally, so that the subjectively perceived loudness remains constant. The proportional-Q principle operates according to the way our hearing system perceives sound.

With constant-Q equalizers there is often only a limited range of useable settings. Sometimes this is so narrow, you may wonder why the Q-control was not permanently fixed at the point it sounds really good. Above that position it often starts to sound harsh and peaky, and below with the broad bandwidth, the sound is colored so you need to con- stantly re-set the boost/cut control. Not so with proportional

Q.The Q-control provides useable settings over the entire range - giving you more versatility to be creative.

The Optimizer comprises four identical filter stages which can be configured for 4-band mono, dual 2-band mono or 2-band stereo operation. The front panel Dual switch selects between 4-band or dual 2-band operation. Both balanced XLR and unbalanced jacks are provided for signal connections to and from the Optimizer. In Mono mode, the filters are all connected in series, but the outputs from each pair of filters remain accessible, so you can get two differently filtered versions of the same signal which can be useful when you are creating special effects.

Each filter covers the frequency range 10Hz to 23kHz in four switched frequency ranges to give fine frequency con- trol, regardless of which part of the audio spectrum is under process. Tuning the equalizer is very intuitive because the frequency control law has been designed to match the cha- racteristics of the human hearing system.

Being able to equalize starting at 10Hz with full boost/cut power gives a new dimension for mixing and pro- ducing of subwoofer-compatible soundtracks.

The frequency response of the circuitry used in the audio signal path exceeds the limits of human hearing by a consi- derable margin, effectively eliminating undesirable phase shifts which, even when relatively small, can seriously impair the high frequency transparency of a less well-desi- gned equalizer.

Each filter has its own mode switch to select between High-pass, Low-pass, Band-pass and Parametric modes. In

INTRODUCTION

The Optimizer comprises four identical filter stages which can be configured for 4-band mono, dual

2-band mono or 2-band ste- reo operation.

Each filter covers the same enormous frequency range 10Hz to 23kHz.

Each filter has its own mode switch, so complex combina- tions of filter types can be used in the same signal path.

OPTIMIZER 5