Sound Performance Lab Gain Station 2272 - Manual (Page 20)

20 GainStation 1
Combining different amounts of clean and tube gain will create
various effects. The GainStation 1 operates virtually distortion-
free with the tube stage bypassed. The sound is clean and trans-
parent with extreme detail and very low noise. The clean stage
is ideal for most acoustic instruments, as well as jazz or clas-
sical recordings. If you activate the tube stage and increase
the gain setting slowly, you will notice that once you reach a
certain level, harmonic distortion enters the signal. The sound
becomes punchier and „fatter“, and attains more loudness. At
this setting the tube stage is still relatively noise-free, and ideal
for adding a bit of presence and liveliness to signals that may
otherwise sound dull or lifeless. This setting works very well
with stringed instruments like acoustic guitars, electric and
acoustic basses and violins, since it highlights the harmonics of
the strings.
Naturally, these effects become more pronounced as the amount
of Tube Gain is increased. The tube can be driven to full satu-
ration to produce pronounced distortion, which can be very
effective with synthesizers, samplers and drum machines that
lack punch. Signals recorded in this fashion will generally cut
through a mix with no trouble at all.
Limiter
To achieve the desired results with the integrated limiter, it is
important to understand its operation. The threshold value is
fixed at 20 dBu. The clean and/or tube gain settings determine
the amount of limiting, so that these settings more or less work
like a threshold control. When the limiter is activated, it levels
everything above 20 dBu. The orange 18 dB LED, which displays
this level range, varies in brightness depending on limiting. The
actual amount of limiting is displayed by the Limit LED, which
becomes brighter as more level reduction is applied.
Operation