dbx 1066 User Manual

Page 15

Preventing digital recording overload
Some digital recorders and samplers produce audible distortion when they exceed their headroom (i.e., the
range above their maximum operating level). The 1066 effectively ensures that audio input does not overload a
digital recorder’s A/D (analog-to-digital) converters. The 1066 can perform this function quietly enough for all
digital media. To use the 1066 so that no changes in gain occur unless an emergency arises (wildly excessive

levels), set Hard Knee mode On, the RATIO to ∞:1, and the THRESHOLD to the highest permissible level.

Note: PeakStopPlus™ limiting can also be used to prevent raucous-sounding digital overload

Gating Dry Percussive Sounds (e.g., Snare Drum, Kick Drum)
To effectively gate percussive sounds with a high level transient, you need to set the 1066’s gate controls to
ensure that the gate is less sensitive to nearby signals that would cause the gate to open or ”false trigger.”

Set the Expander/Gate ratio setting high enough to enable the gate to close abruptly as the signal decays below
the THRESHOLD.

Note: Fast expansion of sustained low frequency signals can result in “chattering.” Because the 1066
is capable of extremely fast expansion, make sure the ratio is not set too high in these applications.
The proper THRESHOLD setting will also minimize false triggering and ”chattering.”

These types of settings are most useful for tightening up drum tracks, removing the “ring” from some drums, or
gating out the leakage of one drum through another’s mic.

Gating Sounds That Have Longer Decay (e.g., Cymbal, Piano)
To effectively gate sounds which have more decay after the initial transient, set the RATIO control low enough
to allow the gate to remain open and capture the signal’s entire envelope.

Changing Sound Quality
The 1066’s expander/gate can effectively change the sonic character of a sound because it can reduce or other-
wise alter the quality of instrumental ambience and reverb. For example, as an instrument stops, its reverbera-
tion level will fall through the 1066’s THRESHOLD setting. It can now be made to die out more quickly - faster
than the natural delay (of the sound). Experiment with different THRESHOLD and RATIO settings to change the
“tail” of the sound; a HIGH RATIO setting will nearly eliminate reverb.

Keyed Gating
Keyed gating, that is, controlling the gating of one signal by another, can be used to add dynamics to a sound
(e.g., creating perfectly in-sync playing and overdubbing among individual instruments or “fattening” a dynami-
cally weak track).

To create two distinct channels of bass guitar for your mix (by splitting the bass signal into two channels and
synchronizing one channel of bass guitar with the kick drum), start by feeding one channel of bass directly into
the mix and the other into the gate’s INPUT. Then key the gate with a signal from the kick drum (connected to
the SIDECHAIN INPUT - adjust controls as needed). The gated bass track will now open with each kick, adding

punch and dynamics. This can really tighten up the tracks and add life to the mix.
Another example of keyed gating is using the drum signal to key an oscillator which is set to an appropriate fre-
quency to “tune” and “punch up” the drum sound.

Note: For all keyed gating applications, be aware to adjust the compressor accordingly or bypass it by
setting the Compressor RATIO fully counterclockwise to 1:1

Applications