Empress Effects ECM-519 compressor - Manual (Page 6)

Controls at a Glance
xformer: Select how the output transformer is used in the circuit.
Off: The output transformer is not used and the output is
balanced with active electronics. Very clean sound with the
largest bandwidth.
On: Inserts the output transformer in the circuit. Smooths
transients providing warmer top end and thicker low mids.
Loaded: Loads down the output transformer so it saturates
easily. Provides a warm, vintage feel. Great for controlling
cymbals and sibilance in vocals.
link: Links 2 compressors to form a stereo pair. See “Using the
Link Function” for details on connecting the units.
side chain hpf: The high-pass filter cuts out low frequen-
cies in the side chain below either 120Hz or 220Hz.
manual / auto: Control the attack and release times manually or
with one of the two auto modes: *
auto1: Great for dynamic control. Use when tracking to
control peaks or to smooth out a mix.
auto2: Attack is more open making things sound big
and present.
GR meter: This 10 segment meter shows the amount of gain
reduction being performed by the compressor at any given time.