Dbx 160X User manual

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2

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1

Table of contents

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MODEL

160X/XT

Single-

Channel

Compressor/Limiter

(Preliminary)

I

CAUTION

|

1

AVIS

|

RISK

OF

ELECTRIC

SHOCK

DO

NOT

OPEN

RISQUE

DE

CHOC

ELECTRIQUE

NE

PAS

OUVRIR

CAUTION:

TO

REDUCE

THE

RISK

OF

ELECTRICAL

SHOCK,

DO

NOT

REMOVE

COVER

(OR

BACK).

NO

USER

SERVICEABLE

PARTS

INSIDE.

REFER

SERVICING

TO

QUALIFIED

SERVICE

PERSONNEL

WARNING:

TO

REDUCE

THE

RISK

OF

FIRE

OR

ELECTRICAL

SHOCK,

DO

NOT

EXPOSE

THIS

APPLIANCE

TO

RAIN

OR

MOISTURE.

This

symbol,

wherever

it

appears,

alerts

you

to

the

presence

of

uninsulated

dangerous

voltage

inside

the

enclosure

—

voltage

that

may

be

sufficient

to

constitute

a

risk

of

shock.

This

symbol,

wherever

it

appears,

alerts

you

to

important

operating

and

maintenance

instructions

in

the

accompanying

literature.

Read

the

manual.

Manufactured

under

one

or

more

of

the

following

U.S.

patents:

3,377,792;

3,681,618,

3,714,462,

3,789,143,

4,097,767;

4,329,598;

4,403,199;

4,409,500;

4,425,551;

4,473,795.

Other

patents

pending.

This

dbx-branded

product

has

been

manufactured

by

AKG

Acoustics,

Inc,

AKG

is

a

registered

trademark

of

Akustiche

u.

Kino-Gerate

Ges

m.b.H.,

Austria.

All

trademarks

are

property

of

their

respective

companies.

This

manual

is

part

number

96010-000-02

©

Copyright

1993

by

AKG

Acoustics,

Inc.

150

-

FB

-1/93

dbx

dbx

Professional

Products

a

division

of

AKG

Acoustics,

Inc.

1525

Alvarado

Street,

San

Leandro,

CA

94577

USA

Telenhone

(

1

)

510/351-3500

Fax:

(1)

510/351-0500

QUICK

SETUP

dbx

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

160XT

Package.

Page

2

□

Complete

the

Registration

Card.

Page

2

□

Mount

Unit

in

a

Rack

(OPTIONAL).

Page

18

□

Connect

Audio

Inputs

and

Outputs.

Page

19

□

Connect

Power.

Page

22

□

Set

Levels

and

Controls

as

Needed.

Page

4

Inspection

1.

Unpack

and

Inspect

the

160XT

package.

Your

160XT

was

carefully

packed

at

the

factory

in

a

protective

carton.

Nonetheless,

be

sure

to

examine

the

unit

and

the

carton

for

any

signs

of

damage

that

may

have

occurred

during

shipping.

If

obvious

physical

damage

is

noticed

contact

the

carrier

immediately

to

make

a

damage

claim.

We

suggest

saving

the

shipping

carton

and

packing

materials

for

safely

transporting

the

unit

in

the

future.

Verify

that

the

160XT

package

contains

the

following:

□

160XT

Unit

□

160XT

Accessory

Kit

□

Operation

Manual

□

Warranty

Certificate/Registration

Card

2.

Please

complete

the

Registration

Card

and

return

it.

Please

fill

in

the

Registration

Card,

detach

it

from

the

Warranty

Certifi¬

cate,

and

send

the

card

to

us

today.

The

Registration

Card

enables

us

to

inform

you

of

new

applications

and

performance

improvements

that

are

developed,

and

it

helps

us

re¬

spond

promptly

to

claims

under

warranty

without

having

to

request

a

copy

of

your

bill

of

sale

or

other

proof

of

purchase.

2

160XT

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

Congratulations

on

purchasing

the

dbx

Model

160XT

Compressor/Limiter.

We

recommend

you

take

a

moment

and

read

through

the

manual

as

it

provides

information

that

will

assist

you

from

system

installation

to

opera¬

tion

to

special

applications.

We

have

added

a

few

new

features

to

the

dbx

Model

160XT

while

main¬

taining

the

performance

and

ease

of

operation

of

its

predecessor,

the

dbx

160X.

We

have

added:

□

XLR-type

Input

and

Output

Connectors

-

because

the

3-pin

XL

con¬

nector

has

been

recognized

as

the

most

durable

and

widely

used

connector

for

professional

applications.

□

Balanced

Output

-

can

drive

a

6000

load

to

+24dBu

and

provides

common-mode

rejection

of

unwanted

noise

in

the

audio

path

such

as

RF

and

60Hz

components.

□

True

Power

Summing

-

When

two

160XT

units

are

slaved

together,

the

RMS

energy

of

the

signal

presented

to

the

slave

unit

is

summed

with

the

RMS

energy

of

the

signal

presented

to

the

master

unit

to

prevent

phase

cancellation

of

the

two

signals

from

causing

unmusi¬

cal

compressor

action.

Note:

a

160X

unit

can

also

be

used

with

the

same

results

as

long

as

the

160XT

is

used

as

the

master

unit.

□

Input

Ground-Lift

Switch

-

for

isolation

between

shield

ground

and

signal

ground.

Useful

when

troubleshooting

hum

(AC

line

interfer¬

ence).

Other

features

include:

□

OverEasy®/Hard

Knee

Selection

-

allows

selection

between

our

fa¬

mous

OverEasy

compression

curve

and

the

classic

“Hard

Knee”

curve

popularized

by

the

original

dbx

160,161

and

162.

□

True

RMS

Level

Detection

-

senses

the

power

in

the

program

in

a

musical

manner,

much

as

the

ear

does,

giving

results

superior

to

peak

or

average

detection.

□

Hardwire

System

Bypass

Switch

-

allows

the

audio

to

pass

even

if

the

unit

is

unplugged,

and

is

also

useful

for

comparing

the

proc¬

essed

and

unprocessed

signal.

□

Front

Panel

Stereo

Coupling

Switch

-

couples

two

160XTs

or

a

160XT

and

a

160X

together

for

stereo

operation

at

the

push

of

a

but¬

ton.

□

19

Segment

Display

-

for

high

resolution

monitoring

of

True

RMS

in¬

put

and

output

levels.

3

OPERATING

CONTROLS

dbx

Professional

Products

□

12

Segment

Display

-

indicating

GAIN

REDUCTION.

□

Meter

Calibration

-

input/output

meter

calibration,

so

the

160XT

can

be

used

in

a

variety

of

situations

where

the

“0"

reference

is

not

con¬

sistent.

□

V

4

“

Input

and

Output

Connectors

-

we

kept

the

%

u

phone

jacks

from

the

160X,

with

the

output

capable

of

driving

its

own

additional

600ft

load

(single-ended)

in

addition

to

any

load

at

the

XL

output.

□

Detector

Input

-

useful

for

special

applications

including

frequency

conscious

compression

in

which

an

external

equalizer

is

used.

□

DC-controlled

Parameters

-

the

signal

does

not

pass

thru

any

of

the

parameter

controls.

Instead

a

DC

voltage

controls

all

functions

which

eliminates

any

possibility

of

potentiometer

noise

as

the

con¬

trols

age.

Applications

The

dbx

160XT

is

capable

of

handling

a

wide

range

of

applications.

In

the

studio,

the

160XT

can

be

used

on

everything

from

vocals

to

percussion.

In

live

sound

reinforcement,

the

160XT

can

allow

the

engineer

to

get

that

“fat

studio

sound”

out

of

the

drum

kit

or

provide

protection

limiting

for

the

speakers.

In

radio

or

television

broadcast,

the

160XT

will

produce

stable

.

voice

levels,

even

with

non-professional

subjects.

,

;v

Operating

controls

__

Front

Panel

dbx

160

X

T

•20

,

THRESHOLD

■

•

•

•C1.0W

ABOVE

BYPASS

SLAVE

■

s

o

■

40dBm

«20dBm

■■

■

THRESHOLD

OVER

EASY

•

•

•

•

••••••••••••#

•

LEVEL

■

40

30

20

15

10

6

6

1

4

3

2

'

0

t

2

4

6

10

?0

•

OUTPUT

•••

•••••••••-GAIN

REDUCTION

-2050

»20dB

COMPRESSION

OUTPUT

,

COMPRESSOR/LIMITER

Figure

1:

Front

Panel

BYPASS

Switch

and

Indicator

Depressing

the

BYPASS

button

creates

a

“hard-wire

bypass”

of

the

160XT’s

circuitry

by

connecting

the

input

di¬

rectly

to

the

output;

If

the

160XT

is

being

provided

with

AC

power,

an

LED

above

the

switch

turns

ON

in

Bypass

mode.

4

160XT

OPERATING

C

ONTROLS

SLAVE

Switch

and

Indicator

Depressing

the

SLAVE

button

on

one

160XT

of

a

stereo

pair

determines

that

the

other

160XT

will

be

the

Mas¬

ter

(the

controlling

unit).

The

LED

above

the

SLAVE

button

turns

ON

when

the

160XT

is

in

Slave

mode,

indicating

that

the

front

panel

func¬

tions

(with

the

exception

of

BYPASS

and

DISPLAY

select

switches)

are

deactivated

and

under

control

of

the

Master

160XT.

When

neither

160XT

is

in

Slave

mode,

each

will

operate

normally

as

a

single

chan¬

nel

compressor/limiter.

THRESHOLD

Control

Adjusting

this

knob

sets

the

threshold

of

com¬

pression

from

-40dBu

(7.8mVrms)

to

+20dBu

(7.8Vrms).

OverEasy

Switch

Depressing

this

button

selects

the

OverEasy

com¬

pression

characteristic.

The

amber

THRESHOLD

LED

turns

ON

when

the

signal

is

in

the

OverEasy

region.

When

this

button

is

out,

the

160XT

operates

as

a

hard-knee

compressor/limiter.

In

hard-knee

compression

mode,

the

threshold

is

defined

as

that

point

above

which

the

output

level

no

longer

changes

on

a

1:1

basis

with

changes

in

the

input

level.

In

OverEasy

mode,

the

threshold

of

com¬

pression

is

defined

as

the

middle

of

the

OverEasy

threshold

region,

that

is,

“half-way”

into

compression,

as

shown

in

Figure

(See

Figure

3).

THRESHOLD

Indicators

These

three

LEDs

indicate

the

relationship

of

the

input

signal

level

to

the

threshold

of

compression.

The

green

“BE¬

LOW’

LED

is

ON

when

the

signal

is

below

threshold

and

the

red

“ABOVE”

LED

is

ON

when

the

signal

is

above

threshold.

When

the

160XT

is

switched

to

OverEasy

mode,

the

amber

LED

is

ON

when

the

signal

is

in

the

OverEasy

region

(See

Figure

3).

COMPRESSION

RATIO

Control

Rotating

this

control

clockwise

in¬

creases

the

amount

of

compression

from

1:1

(no

compression)

up

to

in¬

finity:!

(no

increase

in

output

level,

regardless

of

input

level

increases

above

threshold);

further

clockwise

rotation

increases

compression

into

the

INFINITY+

region,

up

to

a

maximum

of

—1:1

(i.e.,

a

IdB

increase

in

input

level

above

threshold

causes

a

1

dB

decrease

in

output

level).

In

the

INFINITY+

region,

the

160XT

inverts

the

program

dynamics

for

spe¬

cial

effects.

OUTPUT

GAIN

Control

Adjusting

this

control

varies

the

amount

of

fixed

gain

(up

to

±20dB)

in

the

160XT’s

output

amplifier

stage.

The

OUTPUT

GAIN

control

does

not

interact

with

the

threshold

of

compres¬

sion.

r*

5

OPERATING

CONTROLS

dbx

Professional

Products

DISPLAY

Switch

and

Indicator

Depressing

this

button

causes

the

up¬

per

LED

array

to

display

the

INPUT

level

to

the

160XT.

With

the

button

out,

the

OUTPUT

level

is

displayed.

A

pair

of

LEDs

immediately

above

the

DISPLAY

switch

indicates

the

selected

display

status.

LEVEL

and

GAIN

REDUCTION

Displays

The

upper

row

of

19

LEDs

displays

either

the

INPUT

or

OUTPUT

level,

as

selected

with

the

DIS¬

PLAY

switch.

This

display

is

factory

set

so

that

OdB

is

equivalent

to

+

4

d

B

u

input

or

output

level

(1.23Vrms),

but

may

be

reset

with

the

rear

panel

METER

CALIBRATION

trimmer.

(See

following

pages.)

The

lower

row

of

12

LEDs

displays

up

to

40dB

of

GAIN

REDUCTION

caused

by

the

160XT.

(Fixed

gain

changes

due

to

the

OUTPUT

GAIN

control

are

not

displayed

by

the

GAIN

REDUCTION

LEDs

but

are

re¬

flected

in

the

OUTPUT

level

display.)

Rear

Panel

r3E?F

INP

U

T-BALANCE

D

-

OUTPUT

!QflE>

UNBALANCED

OETECTOR

LIFT

*

©

o

iUBBATIO*

__

-I

tip*

trs

RING

■

DC

CONTROL

SLEEVE

GND_VOLTAGES

Figure

2:

Rear

Panel

SIGNAL

INPUT

Jacks

The

Tip/Ring/Sieeve

phone

jack

and

XLR-type

connector

are

wired

in

parallel;

either

Signal

Input

will

accept

an

audio

signal

for

processing

by

the

160XT.

The

phone

jack

accepts

a

stand¬

ard

TRS

V

4

“

phone

plug

for

a

balanced

input

source,

or

a

2-circuit

(Tip/Sleeve)

V

4

”

phone

plug

for

an

unbalanced

source.

The

XLR-type

plug

connector

is

wired

pin

3

HOT

(+),

pin

2

COLD

(-)

and

pin

1

GROUND.

DETECTOR

INPUT

This

Tip/Ring/Sleeve

phone

jack

accepts

a

stand¬

ard

TRS

Va“

phone

plug,

and

is

of

the

“normalling”

type.

That

is,

when

a

phone

plug

is

inserted,

the

detector

input

is

no

longer

connected

in

parallel

with

the

audio

input.

6

160XT

OPERATING

CONTROLS

SIGNAL

OUTPUT

-

XLR-type

connector

The

160XT

has

an

active-

balanced

amplifier

capable

of

driving

a

600

ohm

(or

greater)

load

to

+24dBu.

Pin

3

is

the

HOT

(+)

lead,

pin

2

is

the

COLD

(-)

lead

and

pin

1

is

circuit

ground.

Do

not

short

either

pin

2

or

pin

3

to

ground.

This

will

not

damage

the

unit,

but

may

increase

distortion.

SIGNAL

OUTPUT

-

Phone

Jack

The

160XT

has

a

separate

single-

ended

(unbalanced)

output

amplifier

also

capable

of

driving

a

600

ohm

(or

greater)

load

to

+24dBu.

In

normal

operation

the

Tip/Ring/Sleeve

phone

jack

is

internally

wired

with

the

TIP

HOT

(+),

and

the

RING

and

SLEEVE

connected

to

circuit

ground.

In

BYPASS

mode,

however,

the

RING

is

connected

to

the

COLD

(-)

leads

of

the

input

jacks,

to

allow

for

1:1

connections.

GROUND

(GND)

Lift

Switch

This

switch

allows

for

troubleshooting

hum

(line

interference)

caused

by

ground

loops.

In

the

“GND”

position,

pin

1

of

the

input

XLR-type

connector

is

connected

to

the

160XT’s

cir¬

cuit

ground.

In

the

“LIFT”

position

it

is

disconnected.

This

is

not

a

chas-

sis-isolate

switch.

The

circuit

ground

is

floating

with

the

respect

to

the

chassis.

METER

CALIBRATION

Control

This

screw-driver-adjustable

trimmer

may

be

used

to

precisely

calibrate

the

front

panel’s

upper

LED

display

so

a

OdB

INPUT

or

OUTPUT

indication

is

equivalent

to

any

signal

from

—15dBu

(138mVrms)

to

+10dBu

(2.45Vrms).

STEREO

STRAPPING

Jack

When

a

TRS

(Tip/Ring/Sleeve)

V

4

“

phone

plug

patch

cable

is

inserted

between

two

160XTs,

stereo

strapping

can

be

achieved

by

depressing

the

SLAVE

switch

on

one

unit

only

.

This

will

provide

accurate

processing

for

a

stereo

programming.

AC

Cord:

Plug

into

mains

power.

Note

that

the

160XT

does

not

have

a

power

switch.

It

is

recommended

that

the

160XT

be

“On”

at

all

times.

Power

consumption

is

low.

If

you

do

not

plan

to

use

the

160XT

for

an

extended

period

of

time,

unplug

it.

WARNING:

Be

sure

to

verify

both

your

actual

line

voltage

and

the

volt¬

age

for

which

your

Model

160XT

was

wired,

as

indicated

on

the

rear

panel

of

your

unit.

Connection

to

an

inappropriate

power

source

may

result

in

extensive

damage

which

is

not

covered

by

the

warranty.

7

OUTPUT

LEVEL

(dB)

Operating

notes

_

Basic

Operation

Using

the

THRESHOLD

control

In

hard-knee

mode

this

control

sets

a

reference

level

above

which

input

signals

will

be

processed

by

the

160XT’s

gain

change

circuitry

in

the

man¬

ner

defined

by

the

setting

of

the

RATIO

control.

Input

signals

which

fall

be¬

low

this

level

will

pass

through

the

160XT

unprocessed

(except

for

fixed

gain

changes

directed

by

the

output

control).

See

Figure

4.

In

OverEasy

Mode,

signals

begin

to

gradually

activate

the

160XT’s

gain

change

circuitry

as

they

approach

the

THRESHOLD

reference

level

and

they

do

not

get

fully

processed

in

the

manner

defined

by

the

RATIO

con¬

trol

until

they

have

passed

somewhat

above

the

THRESHOLD

reference

level.

In

OverEasy

mode

there

is

no

distinct

point

at

which

processing

be¬

gins,

and

the

THRESHOLD

setting

corresponds

to

a

point

on

the

in¬

put/output

transfer

curve

midway

between

the

onset

of

processing

and

that

point

at

which

the

transfer

curve

corresponds

to

the

setting

of

the

RA¬

TIO

control

(Figure

3).

Figure

3.

also

shows

how

the

160XT’s

THRESH¬

OL

D

in

d

i

c

ator

LEDs

correlate

with

the

compression

curves.

NOTE:

The

THRESHOLD

setting

relates

to

the

signal

level

seen

by

the

DETECTOR

INPUT.

In

normal

operation,

the

program

input

SIGNAL

IN¬

PUT

is

connected

directly

to

the

DETECTOR

INPUT.

If

this

is

not

the

case,

the

signal

actually

present

at

the

DETECTOR

INPUT

will

determine

how

the

160XT

processes

the

signal

coming

into

its

SIGNAL

INPUT.

-15

-10

-5

0

+5

+10

+15

+20

-15

-10

-5

0

+5

+10

+15

+20

INPUT

LEVEL

(dB)

INPUT

LEVEL

(dB)

Figure

4:

Hard-Knee

Compression

Curve

Figure

3:

Over

Easy

Compression

Curve

8

160XT

OPERATING

NOTES

Using

the

COMPRESSION

RATIO

control

When

an

input

signal

is

above

the

THRESHOLD

reference

level,

the

set¬

ting

of

this

control

determines

the

number

of

decibels

by

which

the

input

signal

must

change

in

level

to

produce

a

IdB

increase

in

the

signal

level

at

the

output

of

the

160XT.

A

setting

of

2:1

indicates

an

input:output

ratio

wherein

a

2dB

increase

in

signal

(above

threshold)

will

produce

a

IdB

in¬

crease

in

output

signal.

A

setting

of

°°:1

indicates

that

an

infinite

increase

in

input

level

would

be

required

to

raise

the

output

level

by

IdB.

In

other

words,

the

output

level

is

constant

when

the

input

signal

is

above

thresh¬

old.

The

160XT’s

RATIO

control

covers

the

entire

range

from

1:1

to

°°:1

and,

in

addition,

goes

to

Infinity-*-

(negative)

ratios.

At

a

setting

of-1:1,

the

above

threshold

input

signal

must

increase

by

IdB

in

level

to

decrease

the

signal

at

the

output

of

the

160XT

by

IdB.

See

Figure

5.

The

control

curve

of

the

RATIO

potentiometer

has

been

designed

to

pro¬

vide

total

operator

control,

with

scale

expansion

at

the

subtle

lower

ratios

for

easy,

repeatable

settings.

Figure

5:

Ratio

control

and

lnfinity+

(Negative)

Ratios

9