Studio Technologies 76DBA V.3.00 - Manual (Page 23)

Model 76DBA/77B User Guide Issue 1, November 2010
Studio Technologies, Inc. Page 23
for Surround
seconds the LED will light steadily to
indicate that a “snapshot” of the new
reference level has been taken. The
Model 77B’s numeric display will then
show the value of the new reference
level. The value shown will always be a
negative number as it’s always a value
less than the maximum output level.
The reference level button can now be
released.
7. To complete the process the configura-
tion mode must be exited. This is per-
formed by again pressing and holding
the configure button for two seconds.
The new reference level is now stored
in the Model 76DBA’s nonvolatile
memory. Only by repeating the entire
procedure can the value be changed.
Once the configuration mode has been
exited, the digital and analog monitor
outputs will again become active. Confirm
that the correct level has been stored by
pressing the reference level button. The
SPL meter should display the desired level.
If not, repeat the calibration procedure to
achieve the desired goal.
You might wonder why you have to press
and hold the reference level button for
five seconds before the selected value is
recognized. This is provided specifically so
that unauthorized users won’t accidentally
change the reference level while they ex-
periment with the configuration mode. Only
if you know the “secret” will you be able to
store a new value.
Overall Display Mode
The Model 77B’s 4-digit numeric display
can be configured to display the post-fader
surround digital and analog monitor out-
put levels in either an attenuation mode
or an SPL mode. In the attenuation mode
the output level is shown as a reduction in
level, in dB, relative to the maximum out-
put level. When the rotary control is used
to set the output level to its maximum the
display will show 0.0. As the rotary control
is moved in the counterclockwise direc-
tion the display will show negative values,
reaching –70.0 before the full mute func-
tion automatically mutes the outputs.
In the SPL mode the display can be con-
figured to allow the output level to be
presented to users in terms of the actual
sound pressure level (SPL). Used in con-
junction with the reference level in dB SPL
configuration and the stored reference
level, SPL mode allows a user to see a
visual representation of the SPL level that
is present in the listening environment.
While it takes a little more care to correctly
implement the SPL display mode, it can
offer an enhanced experience for Studio-
Comm users.
Reference Level in dB SPL
The reference level in dB SPL configu-
ration allows a specific SPL value to be
associated with the stored reference level
value. In this way whenever the post-fader
surround digital and analog monitor out-
puts are at their reference level, either
through activating the reference level func-
tion or manually adjusting the rotary level
control, the Model 77B’s display will show
the configured SPL level. Whenever the
monitor output is not at the reference value
the display will show the current value,
in dB, relative to the reference level. The
reference level in dB SPL can be config-
ured over a range of 70.0 to 100.0 dB in
1.0-dB steps. In many applications select-
ing a value of 85 would be appropriate,