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MODEL 160A
COMPRESSOR
LIMITER
®
A Harman International Company
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WARNING FOR YOUR PROTECTION, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING: CAUTION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK WATER AND MOISTURE: Appliance should not be used near water (e.g. near a bath- DO NOT OPEN tub, washbowl, kitchen sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool, etc). Care should be taken so that objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the ATTENTION: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE - NE PAS OUVRIR enclosure through openings. POWER SOURCES: The appliance should be connected to a power su
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER MANUAL CONTENTS QUICK SET-UP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 INSPECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 APPLICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 OPERATING CONTROLS . . . . . . . . .
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS QUICK SETUP To get your unit up and running as quickly as possible, do the following steps. For more detailed information, refer to the specified pages. ¥ Unpack and Inspect the 160A Package. ¥ Set Levels and Controls as Needed. ¥ Connect the 160A to Your System. INSPECTION Verify that the 160A package contains the following: ¥ 160A Unit ¥ AC Power Cord ¥ Operation Manual (including Registration Card) INTRODUCTION Congratulations on purch
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER APPLICATIONS The dbx 160A is capable of handling a wide range of applications. In the studio, the 160A can be used on everything from vocals to percussion. In live sound reinforcement, the 160A can allow the engineer to get that Òfat studio soundÓ out of the drum kit or provide protection limiting for the speakers. It is also an excellent line driver, perfect for sending signals down long cables to power amp stacks or from remote broadcast trucks. In radio or telev
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS 1:1 Unity 1:1 +20 RED +20 Above Threshold +15 +15 2:1 2:1 +10 +10 4:1 4:1 +5 20:1 +5 :1 0 :1 0 RED Rotation Point Threshold -5 Above Threshold -5 -10 OverEasy Range -10 GREEN Below Threshold -15 -15 Below Threshold -15 -10 -5 0 +5 +10 +15 +20 -15 -10 -5 0 +5 +10 +15 +20 INPUT LEVEL (dB) INPUT LEVEL (dB) Figure 1: Hard Knee Compression Curve Figure 2: OverEasy® Compression Curve and threshold LEDs and threshold LEDs OUTPUT G
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER +24dBu. This jack accepts 1/4Ó phone plugs. In normal operation the TRS phone jack is internally wired with the TIP HOT (+), and the RING and SLEEVE connected to ground. In Bypass mode, however, the RING is connected to the COLD (-) leads of the input jacks, to allow for balanced connections. GROUND (GND) Lift Switch: This switch allows for troubleshooting hum (line interference) caused by ground loops. In the ÒGNDÓ position, pin 1 of the input XLR-type jack is co
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS ¥ - 1:1 - - +20 +15 2:1 +10 4:1 +5 ¥:1 0 -5 Threshold -10 -15 -1:1 -15 -10 -5 0 +5 +10 +15 +20 INPUT LEVEL (dB) Figure 3: Ratio Control and Infinity+ (Negative) Ratios 160A by 1dB. See Figure 3 above. The control curve of the RATIO potentiometer has been designed to provide total oper- ator control, with scale expansion at the subtle lower ratios for easy, repeatable settings. METER CALIBRATION Control: The INPUT/OUTPUT LEVEL display in t
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER Negative ratios can also be used to prevent musicians from continually increasing the volume of their instrument (e.g., in live applications where there is no sound engineer to control the house levels). With their signal compressed by a neg- ative COMPRESSION RATIO, each volume increase initiated at the instrument or amp would actually decrease the volume level at the final mix. Fattening Kick Drums and Compressing Other Drums Weak, flabby kick drums often have t
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS As a general rule, compressors should be as close to the amplifiers as possible in the signal chain. If the 160A is placed before the EQ (equalizer), for example, a potentially damaging boost in the EQ won't be seen by the 160A and the speakers may be damaged. (see Multi-way speaker systems, page 9.) For maximum sound pressure levels, large sound reinforce- ment systems frequently use a separate compressor on each output of the electronic cr
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER The converse of the above EQ technique may be used: dipping the equalizer bands causes any sound with dominant energy in the affected register to pull the level up because the 160A will detect a need for less compression. De-Essing To apply de-essing to vocals (i.e., a reduction of sibilance), use a parametric equalizer in the level detector circuit and set it for high frequency boost in the specific frequency range where the vocal ÒhissÓ or lisp occurs (generally
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS CONNECTING THE 160A TO YOUR SYSTEM Basic Connection 15 WATTS MANUFACTURED UNDER ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING U.S. PATENTS 4,234,804 4,316,107 4,329,598 4,331,931 4,377,792 4,403,199 4,409,500 4,425,551 4,434,380 4,454,433 4,471,324 4,473,793 OTHER PATENTS PENDING INPUTS OUTPUTS DETECTOR METER STEREO XLR: BAL / UNBAL UNBALANCED INPUT CALIBRATION STRAPPING PIN 1 XLR PIN 2 GND PHONE: PIN 3 LIFT A HARMAN INTERNATIONAL TIP PHONE: COMPANY SALT LA
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER “MASTER” “SLAVE” 160A 160A INPUT OUTPUT INPUT OUTPUT STEREO STEREO STRAPPING STRAPPING TO RIGHT INPUT TO LEFT INPUT FROM RIGHT OUTPUT FROM LEFT OUTPUT TRS “STEREO” CABLE (Shield plus two conductors) Figure 6: Multi-Channel Connections Using External Level Detector Inputs To control the compressor by signals other than the audio input (via an auxiliary device), connect the auxiliary device's output to the 160A's DETECTOR INPUT jack, and feed the auxiliary device's
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS Note: DO NOT CONNECT the output of a power amp or the speaker out of an instrument to the input of the 160A. Severe damage to system components may result. Patch Bay In the studio, the 160A may be connected to a patch bay to allow it to be used anywhere in the studio system. If your stu- dio is not fully balanced, you must ground the unused XLR pin (either pin 2 or 3) or use the 1/4Ó phone jack OUTPUT, which is single-ended. Another option i
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER Grounding For maximum hum rejection with a balanced source, avoid common grounding at the 160A's input and output. Most bal- anced (3-conductor) cables have the shield connected at both ends. This can result in ground loops which cause hum. If hum is a problem, try changing the position of the rear panel GROUND LIFT switch. This switch disconnects the input XLR pin 1 (the shield) from the 160A's chassis ground. We advise starting with the switch in the LIFT positio
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS SPECIFICATIONS Input (1/4Ó TRS Phone and XLR) Floating Balanced; XLR: Pin 2 Hot, Phone: Tip Hot Impedance 100k½ balanced, 50k½ unbalanced Maximum Level +24dBu, Balanced or Unbalanced CMRR >45dB (any frequency) Detector Input (1/4Ó TRS Phone) Floating Balanced Impedance 400k½ balanced, 200k½ unbalanced Maximum Level +28dBu, Balanced or Unbalanced Output (XLR) Floating Balanced; Pin 2 Hot Impedance 30½ Maximum Level (Balanced) + 24dBm; <0.3%
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dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER NOTES 15
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® dbx 160A COMPRESSOR / LIMITER PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS NOTES 16
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® 8760 South Sandy Pkwy. Sandy, Utah 84070 Phone: (801) 568-7660 Fax: (801) 568-7662 IntÕl Fax: (219) 462-4596 A Harman International Company Questions or comments? E¥mail us at: customer@dbxpro.com or visit our World Wide Web home page at: www.dbxpro.com 18-2040-C 7-98
