Solid State Logic SB i16 User manual

SB i16 and SB 8.8
Network I/O
User Guide
Revision: 1.2

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
2
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SSL and Solid State Logic are ® registered trademarks of Solid State Logic.
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are ® registered trademarks of Solid State Logic.
SuperAnalogue™, System T™, Live L100™, Live L200™, Live L300™, Live L350™, Live L500™,
Live L500 Plus™, Live L550™, Blacklight™ and X-Light are ™ trademarks of Solid State Logic.
Dante™ and Audinate™ are trademarks of Audinate Pty Ltd.
etherCON®is a registered trademark of Neutrik AG.
All other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners
and are hereby acknowledged.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means,
whether mechanical or electronic, without the written permission of
Solid State Logic, Oxford, OX5 1RU, England.
As research and development is a continual process, Solid State Logic reserves the right to change
the features and specifications described herein without notice or obligation.
Solid State Logic cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from
any error or omission in this manual.
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS, PAY SPECIAL HEED TO SAFETY WARNINGS.
E&OE
May 2021
Document Revision History
First Version
August 2015
Revision 1.1
Format revision
December 2018
Revision 1.2
Network I/O Controller update
May 2021

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Table of Contents
Introduction 4
Overview 4
Key Features 4
SB i16 and SB 8.8 Front Panel 4
SB i16 and SB 8.8 Rear Panel 4
Status LEDs and User Buttons 5
Channel LEDs 5
Device Reset 5
Brooklyn Reset 5
Hardware Connections 6
Mains Power Connections 6
Dante Connections 6
Audio Inputs and Outputs 6
GPIO 6
SSL Network I/O Controller 7
Installing Network I/O Controller 7
Network Configuration - PC 7
Application Navigation 8
Control View 8
Network View 9
Inputs/Outputs 10
Inputs 10
Focus Window 10
Outputs 11
GPIO 11
Setup 12
Settings View 12
Devices View 13
Ownership 14
Stagebox Ownership 14
Input Ownership 14
Individual Input Ownership 15
Console Routing and Input Ownership 15
GPO Ownership 16
Gain Compensation 17
Compensated Ports 17
Calibration Point 18
Recalibrate Indication 18
Pad 19
Traditional 19
AutoPad 20
Dante Controller 21
Network Config 21
Device Info 21
Appendix A – General Specifications 22
Ventilation 22
Appendix B - Connector Pin Outs 23
XLR Wiring 23
D-Type Multipin Wiring 23
GPIO 24
Appendix C – Performance Specifications 25
Mic/Line Inputs 25
Line Outputs 26
Appendix D – Safety Notices 27
General Safety 27
Installation Notes 27
Power Safety 28
For EU 28
Environmental Declaration 29
RoHS Notice 29
For USA 29
Electromagnetic Compatibility 29
Environmental 29

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Introduction
Overview
SB i16 and SB 8.8 are, respectively, 2U, 16 input and 8 input/8 output SuperAnalogue™ Dante
stageboxes, for all high-quality AoIP applications.
SB i16 and SB 8.8 can be controlled remotely from SSL Live and System T consoles as well as from
SSL’s Network I/O Controller app for PC.
SB i16 and SB 8.8 are ideally suited to studio and stage, featuring redundant power, redundant
ruggedized etherCON Dante connections plus four GPIOs.
Key Features
Interface between studio/stage/recording area and IP audio networks using Dante and
AES67
Redundant PSUs and Dante network connections
8 or 16 SSL SuperAnalogue studio grade preamps
GPIO connectivity - embed tallies across the network
Redundant network extension ports
Clear front panel indication - signal present, phantom power, channel attention
Gain-compensated inputs available to Dante network
Device and parameter ownership assignment to avoid control conflicts
AutoPad - automatically adjusts gain and pad settings to accommodate widest possible
range of input signals
Two-speed ball-bearing fan cooling - sufficiently quiet to place on a studio floor
SB i16 and SB 8.8 Front Panel
SB i16 and SB 8.8 Rear Panel
Signal Level and
48V/Attention LEDs
Latching XLR
I/O Connectors
User Buttons/
LEDs
GP Inputs 1-4
GP Outputs 1-4
Redundant
PSUs
Low Noise
Fans
Network Activity
and Gigabit LEDs
Redundant Network
Audio Connections
(Dante)
Redundant
Network
Extension

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Status LEDs and User Buttons
Channel LEDs
Device Reset
Performing a device reset will clear the SSL device settings. This includes ownership, input and GPIO
states. This does not clear Dante Brooklyn card settings.
Brooklyn Reset
Resetting the Dante Brooklyn card to default settings is performed from Dante Controller. Under the
Device Config tab for a device select Clear Config. This clears the device name, channel labels, IP
address settings, sample rate, latency and existing audio routes. This does not clear SSL Ownership
settings.
Green
- normal operation
Red
- indicates a fault has
occurred, refer to the setup
information window
Green (solid)
- normal operation: processor running
and Dante networks connected
Green (blinking)
- booting/reconfiguring
Red (solid)
- loss of primary network
Red (flashing)
- loss of secondary network
N.B. If both networks are lost the
RUN LED will be solid
red
◂
▸Arrows are for
channel selection
- when
using the arrow buttons,
the attention LED will
flash red on the selected
channel
Green
- normal operation, both
power supplies active
Red
- primary or secondary power
supply inactive
ATT
(Attention) allows a user to ‘push’ attention (for
the already selected channel) to the software control
application for swift identification of inputs or
outputs.
Easily and quickly identify channels of interest between
the studio floor and the control room.
Multiple channels can have Attention active.
Pressing the
ATT button again on the selected channel
will cancel the Attention signal.
If
HOLD and ◂are held for 3 seconds then the primary Dante network
connection will reset to use DHCP
- once released the unit must be
rebooted
If
HOLD and ATT are pressed for 3 seconds this will perform a device
reset
- once released the unit must be rebooted
SIG
analogue signal LEDs
are green above
-40 dBFS
and red at
-0.1 dBFS
(clipping)
48V/ATT indicates phantom power and/or attention depending on
red, green, or flashing combinations as follows:
Red (solid)
– phantom power on
Green (flashing)
– channel attention active
Green and red (flashing)
–
phantom power on and channel attention
active

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Hardware Connections
Mains Power Connections
SB i16 and SB 8.8 include redundant PSUs with IEC C14 inlets. Either supply
can individually power the unit. Ideally these should be connected to separate
power circuits to provide redundancy of incoming AC power.
Dante Connections
SB i16 and SB 8.8 have two redundant sets of network connections.
In Dante Controller it is possible to set Dante ports to switched mode rather than redundant mode.
While this is possible, there is no need to here as the extension ports provide this functionality
without loss of redundancy.
Never connect Primary and Secondary ports to the same single Dante network.
Audio Inputs and Outputs
Electronically balanced mic/line inputs and line outputs on latching XLR-
3 connectors.
See Appendix B for pinout information.
GPIO
4 General Purpose opto-coupled inputs and 4 General Purpose relay outputs
allow embedding and de-embedding of logic signals across the network.
See Appendix B for pinout information.
A pair of LEDs per port provide
network information:
ACT
flashes when there is
network activity
GB
shows Ethernet network
status
Network A ports feature
etherCON ruggedised RJ45
connectors.
Extension
ports are switched ports of the
primary and secondary Dante ports
respectively. They allow direct connection
of a control PC or even another Dante
device.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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SSL Network I/O Controller
Installing Network I/O Controller
When SSL Network I/O is used without an SSL console, configuration and control is achieved using
the SSL Network I/O Controller PC application. This can be downloaded from the SSL website as part
of the Network I/O Stagebox upgrade package or as a standalone installer.
Locate and run the Network I/O Controller installer and follow the on-screen prompts to install the
application.
Application data is stored per Windows user account, allowing each user’s configuration of device
filtering, sorting and application window size to be retained.
Network Configuration - PC
Once Network I/O Controller is installed, connect the Windows PC to the same subnet as the
Network I/O. The SSL Network I/O Controller application uses the network adapters configured in
Dante Controller for communication. Before starting Network I/O Controller first open Dante
Controller and select the network adaptors connected to the Dante network. ‘Use shared Dante
interface’ must be selected to ensure all applications using the Dante network use the correct
adaptors. Subsequent changes to network settings may require Network I/O Controller to be
restarted.
TCP/IP is used to communicate with the unit, so check Windows firewall settings if communications
are not working.
Set the computer to ‘Never Sleep’ to maintain communication.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Application Navigation
Network I/O Controller is divided between three tabs: Control, Settings and Devices. These are
accessed from the right hand side of the application.
The application can be resized horizontally and vertically to fit the display as desired. Click and drag
from the side or corner of the application to resize. With the Control tab visible, increasing the
window width allows more devices and input metering in the Network View, plus displays more
channels for control in the Detail View. Increasing the window height provides larger metering in
Network View and a longer fader for each input in the Detail View.
When set to full screen on a 1920x1080 display 16 channels are displayed in the Detail View.
Control View
The Control tab is divided into five sections:
The Control view is the main
application window, providing real
-
time control and monitoring of the
connected SSL Network I/O devices.
The
Settings tab provides
access to Dante Domain
Manager
connection settings.
The Devices tab provides tools for
filtering, hiding and sorting the I/O
devices shown in the Control tab.
Network View shows each SSL device on the Dante network. Input meters
are shown for every analogue input.
The D64 is displayed as a narrow
device with n
o input metering. Selecting
a device brings its parameters into
the
Detail View. Selecting an input brings the input into the Focus View.
Large arrows on the far left and right scroll for more devices.
Detail View shows channel
details for the selected
device.
Left/right
navigation controls
scroll
for more channels.
Page Select selects the Detail
V
iew to show inputs, outputs,
or setup options for each
device.
Focus View
shows an
expanded view of the
selected ch
annel.
Navigation switches the in-focus channel and allows for
gain adjustment. These arrows are also mapped to the
PC keyboard.
Control toggles fine (0.1 dB) gain
adjustment and
Alt coarse (3 dB) gain adjustment.
GPIO
View shows the
active status for each GPI
and GPO.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Network View
Device Name
is set within
Dante
Controller.
A Red Highlight indicates a device that requires operator action:
•A flashing red background indicates a device with a clipping audio channel
•A solid red border highlights a device with an active Attention flag
If the device requiring attention is not already visible in the Network View window, then
the appropriate large scroll arrow will show red to direct you to the appropriate device.
Selected device
is highlighted
with a cyan
outline. Devices and
channels
can be selected from
here or with the scroll arrows.
PSU Tallies
show the
status of PSUs
1 and 2 for
each stagebox.
Greyed out devices marked
Offline
are ‘known’ to the
network but
unreachable,
typically switched off.
Att and Mute tallies show
the status of these
functions for every
stagebox channel.
The Level Meter shows the
real
-time signal level for all
analogue input channels. A
red clipping indicator is also
provided.
Scroll arrows are used
to navigate between
devices. A b
lack arrow
indicates further devices
are available.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Inputs/Outputs
Select the Inputs or Outputs tab in the Page Select area to view I/O available on the network.
Inputs
Focus Window
Control Status shows whether the viewer has control of the input’s parameters. Each individual
channel has independent ownership.
Rel
in cyan indicates that this input is under the control of the viewer. Press and hold to
relinquish control.
Take
indicates that this input is NOT under the control of the viewer. Press and hold to take
control from the owner.
Own
indicates that this input is not owned by any controller. Press and
hold to take ownership of
this input.
Channel Info shows all
parameters of the channel
at a glance. The
background colour
indicates ownership
status: green for owned
inputs, purple for inputs
owned by another
controller and black for
unowned inputs.
Fader allows for manual level control via the slider,
keyboard arrow keys, or numeric entry by clicking
the text Gain Value box.
Fader Level Bar
is coloured red on microphone input
channels and cyan on line level inputs.
Mute mutes the input or output
channel. The mute state is
stored in volatile memory on the
unit and all channels will reset to
unmuted if the unit is
repowered.
Level Meter shows the
signal level for the
selected channel. A red
clipping indicator is also
provided.
Show Gain toggles the fader into
the Focus Window. Gain can be
controlled via mouse, keyboard, or
numeric entry.
Focus Window displays
the available parameters
for the selected channel.
Selected Channel
is
highlighted in cyan.
Left and Right arrows switch the selected channel.
Up
and Down
arrows adjust the gain for the selected
channel in discrete 1dB steps.
Control toggles fine
(0.1 dB) gain adjustment and
Alt coarse (3 dB) gain
adjustment.
These controls are mapped to the
computer keyboard.
Ownership
window
displays the owner of the
selected channel
.
+48V
toggles the mic preamp
phantom power.
Selecting
Line input will turn off
phantom power.
ATT! (Attention) toggles the hardware front panel
LED for swift identification of inputs or outputs.
Multiple channels can have Attention active.
Attention can be cancelled by pressing the
ATT!
button again on the selected channel or from the
device front panel.
Pad
toggles the -
20 dB mic
preamp pad.
Further information is
given in the
Pad section.
Mic/Line toggles the appropriate
input gain r
ange and impedance
for mic or line level sources.
Mic
inputs have a gain range of
74dB including the pad. The
available range values are
dependent
on the operating level.
Line
level inputs have a gain range
of +20 to
-10 dB.
Limiter
toggles the mic preamp limiter, an
oversampled DSP
-based feed forward limiter which
reduces the mic pre gain as soon as the output
level exceeds a peak average level of
-3dBFS.
Holding Audition
automatically sets the gain
based on the source level.
Channel Label
as entered in Dante Controller.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Outputs
GPIO
The SB i16 and SB 8.8 are equipped with 4 GP input and 4 GP output circuits. Inputs are opto-
isolated voltage triggered and output closures are via DIL relay.
See Appendix B for connector pinout and contact ratings.
Mute allows individual
outputs to be muted.
Control Status
shows whether
the viewer has control of the
GPO’s parameters.
Each
individual GPO has independent
ownership.
Rel
in cyan indicates that this
GPO is under the control of the
viewer. Press and hold to
relinquish control.
Take
indicates that this GPO is
NOT under
the control of the
viewer. Press and hold to take
control from the owner.
Own
indicates that this GPO is
not owned by any controller.
Press and hold to take
ownership of this input.
GPO
s can be individually
triggered using the
associated button
.
GPI
button LEDs show
the state of each GPI
.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Setup
Press Setup in the Page Select area to display the system configuration information.
Stagebox Ownership and Inputs Ownership settings are detailed under Ownership.
Settings View
For installations using Dante Domain Manager (DDM), the Settings tab provides access to DDM
connection settings. Network I/O Controller can connect as a control client in the same way that
Dante Controller, SSL Live and System T consoles can. Consult the Dante Domain Manager User
Guide for further information regarding DDM.
Name
shows the device
name as set in Dante
Controller.
Info
shows the status of the
device’s redundant power
supplies, fans, and
temperature.
Red indicates a fault.
Clear Attention
clears all active
attention LEDs on the currently
selected device.
Operating Level
allows selection
of the maximum analogue I/O
level in dBu (at 0dBFS) for the
device.
Recalibrate All Owned
Inputs
resets the trim applied to the
gain compensated inputs.
AutoPad
changes pad
mode from traditional
pad to AutoPad.
Selected Domain shows the active domain and
provides a list of all Dante domains the
selected user has access to.
DDM Server allows entry of the server name or
IP address.
DDM Server Connection
Status
displays whether
there is an
active
connection to DDM.
User Name and Password credentials for DDM
are stored within Network I/O Controller. Once
entered, Network I/O Controller will
automatically attempt connection.
Reset IO Settings
performs a device
reset of SSL parameters, clearing
ownership states and input settings.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Devices View
The Devices tab provides management of the I/O devices displayed in the Control View.
Device Filtering allows Network I/O device types to be hidden, both from the Control View and
the Control View Filtering and Sorting section. An example use case may be to hide all
compensated devices so that the Control View only shows the gain tracked signals, not the
compensated split feeds.
Control View Filtering and Sorting provides control of the order in which devices are displayed in
the Network View of the Control View, in addition to individual device filtering.
Individual devices
can be
Hidden from
the
Control View.
SHOW ALL clears the currently selected device
filters.
HIDE OFFLINE
ensures only currently connected
devices are displayed, irrespective of device type.
Device Filtering is provided for all Network I/O device types available in Network
I/O Controller. These device types can be pre hidden, so they are not visible from
this instance of the software when they are discovered. Device filtering hides the
selected device types from the
Control View and the below Control View
Filtering and Sorting table.
Column headings can be selected to affect the Sort Order of this table and importantly the order in which
devices are displayed in the
Network View of the Control tab.
Selecting the heading for a column will set it as the ordering field and toggle between ascending or
descending. Sorting can be alpha
-numeric by Name or Device Type, or numerically by IP address or Index
(discovered order).

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Ownership
Net I/O stageboxes can be controlled by SSL Live or System T consoles and the Network I/O
Controller PC application. Separate Stagebox and Input ownership options are available to prevent
control conflicts between networked consoles and control computers sharing resources.
Stagebox Ownership
Stagebox ownership provides general ownership of the stagebox configuration, covering the
following parameters:
Operating level
Pad mode
A stagebox does not require an owner at all times, so can remain unowned if the above settings do
not need to be adjusted.
Input Ownership
Input ownership offers a level of protection to inputs: when an input is owned the input parameters
can only be modified by the device that owns it. Parameters covered by input ownership are:
Mic gain
Phantom power
Mic/line switching
Pad
Input mute
Compensated output recalibration
Audition
Limiter
Note that multiple consoles can share the same input signal but only one device can control the
input parameters. Altering the input settings will affect all consoles using the input.
N.B. Ownership settings are stored on the SB i16 and SB 8.8. The mute state is stored in volatile
memory on the unit and all channels will reset to unmuted if the unit is repowered.
Press and hold
Stagebox Ownership
to assign
or relinquish stagebox ownership
The current owner is
listed in white
Press and hold
Inputs
Ownership
to open the
Ownership menu:
Own All
will assign all
unowned inputs
Take All
will assign all inputs
including those owned by
another controller
Release All
will release
ownership of inputs owned
by the controller

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Individual Input Ownership
One of three options will be displayed when an input is selected on a device, depending on the
current ownership state. These options are Own, Take and Release:
Console Routing and Input Ownership
When an SSL console makes routes from a stagebox mic input to a console channel, the console will
automatically become the owner of any unowned inputs. If an input is owned by a different
controller then routing will not automatically take ownership, Take ownership will need to be
performed if input control is required on this device. Note that the audio route will still be made
regardless of whether ownership is assigned.
When an SSL console unloads a showfile (as happens when a new showfile is loaded or the console
is powered down), routes are unmade. Unmaking routes for mic inputs automatically releases
ownership, leaving them unowned for the next use. Ownership status is stored on the device, for all
controllers on the distributed network to take account of.
If a stagebox is unreachable (e.g. it has been powered off) when the console showfile is unloaded
then the stagebox storage of ownership will persist. If the stagebox is to be used on the same
console (or set of consoles with the same showfiles) on next use, this persistence of ownership will
not matter. If the stagebox is to be used on a different console, ownership will need to be cleared
using Reset I/O Settings from console software or Net I/O Controller, or the hardware reset option
detailed in Status and Reset.
Ownership from Network I/O Controller is manually controlled. Network I/O Controller does not
manage Dante routing, this is done with Dante Controller.
Unowned inputs have a press
and hold
Own button and
show there is no owner
Inputs owned by another controller have a
press and hold
Take button. The current
owner is displayed in the
Ownership
window of the Focus View.
Inputs owned by this controller
have a press and hold
Release
button and show this console as
the owner
Only mic inputs owned by this
device have a fader cap and
can be controlled

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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GPO Ownership
The four GPO connections also have ownership status. The available ownership states are identical
to those for stagebox inputs.
GPOs owned by another controller
have a press and hold
Take button
GPOs can be individually triggered
using the associated button
Unowned GPOs have a press and
hold
Own button and show there is
no owner
GPOs owned by this controller have a
press and hold
Release button

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Gain Compensation
Each stagebox mic/line input has two transmit channels that can be subscribed to from the Dante
network. Main channels follow the mic gain as set by the controller. Compensated channels nullify
mic gain changes by applying a digital trim offset which is the opposite of any analogue gain
changes. Using Compensated channels ensures that devices receiving signals from the same
stagebox avoid undesired changes to input source levels.
Compensated Ports
When connected to an SSL console or the Network I/O Controller app the main and compensated
channels show as two separate devices.
The compensated output’s level is controlled in the stagebox itself, so any Dante device can receive
the compensated signal, it does not have to be an SSL console.
If networks A and B are linked then the compensated channels can be found as separate devices in
Dante Controller, under the Transmit tab of the Routing Matrix or Device View.
If networks A and B are unlinked then either the main or compensated ports will be shown,
dependant on which is connected.
Compensated device view.
Compensated inputs cannot be
owned or have any functions
changed.
Main
device view. Control of input
gain settings and related controls.
Compensated ports
Main ports

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
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Calibration Point
The Calibration point is the value at which the analogue gain equals a digital trim value of 0 dB, i.e.
there is no digital trim applied. Digital trim will be applied when the analogue gain level is above or
below the Calibration point.
Recalibrate Indication
Clear removes the clip
indicator
.
The
Calibration point is
indicated on the fader
level bar as
γ.
Press and hold Recalibrate to:
Recalibrate the compensated gain value to match the current analogue
gain value when in
Line mode (removing any digital trim).
Recalibrate the compensated gain value to 10 dB under the current
analogue gain value when in
Mic mode. This feature has been des
igned
to
protect the compensated signal against digital clipping in the event
that the analogue gain control is drastically reduced.
Pressing the ±3 dB buttons
adjusts the
Calibration
point by ±3 dB
.
The Recalibrate colour bar will
light
red as a warning that
recalibration would increase the
level of the compensated signal
.
The Recalibrate colour bar will
light
green if recalibration would
decrease the level of the
compensated signal
.

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
19
Pad
The SB i16 and SB 8.8 have two pad modes, Traditional and AutoPad. The pad mode is selected
per stagebox (applied to all inputs) from the SETUP tab of the stagebox within Network I/O
Controller.
Traditional
Traditional pad mode is active when AutoPad is deselected. This allows the 20 dB pad to be
inserted/removed manually. Inserting the pad will reduce the input gain by 20 dB. The reduced
value will be shown in the input channel strip and the range of available gain values will be updated
to reflect the pad state. Note that maximum and minimum gain values are dependent on the
Operating Level setting.
Compensated channels will change signal level in accordance with the pad setting on the
associated main channel when in traditional pad mode. If the pad is inserted on a main channel the
signal level of both the main and compensated channel will drop by 20 dB.
AutoPad
is highlighted blue when
active
Mic gain range with traditional pad
engaged
(5 to 59 dB)
Mic gain range with traditional pad
not engaged
(25 to 79 dB)

SB i16 and SB 8.8 User Guide
20
AutoPad
AutoPad provides the entire possible gain range to the operator and silently applies the pad when
the gain range is set to a low value that requires the pad to achieve.
When AutoPad is active the Pad control on the channel is dimmed to show it is no longer available
for user control. If the input gain is set to a low value which requires the pad to achieve then the
Pad icon will be highlighted blue (whilst dimmed) to show that it is active.
It is advisable to check channel gain values after changing the AutoPad setting. Overall gain levels
will be retained but pad states may change.
Compensated channels will retain a constant output signal level when in AutoPad mode,
irrespective of whether the pad has been automatically applied.
Mic gain range with
AutoPad
engaged (5 to 79
dB)
Pad automatically engaged due to
low mic gain value
Pad not engaged as value above
required threshold