dbx 363X - Page 18

dbx
363X
Basic
Operation
(Control
Descriptions)
H.
KEY
ENGAGE
switch
The
KEY
ENGAGE
switch,
when
depressed,
al-
lows
the
opening
and
closing
of
the
gate
to be
controlled
by an
external
signal.
This
becomes
an
invaluable
feature
when
many
sound
sources
exist
in
a close
proximity.
For
instance,
a
conventional
drum
kit
consists
of five
pieces,
not including
the
cymbals.
In
order
to
get
a
good
overall
drum
sound,
each drum
needs
a
mic
on
it.
This
gives
the
engineer
the
ability
to
"doctor"
each
drum
individually.
The
one sin-
gle-most
issue
engineers
complain
about
is
leakage
into
adjacent
mics.
A
noise
gate can,
in
most
cases,
eliminate
the
crosstalk
into
nearby
mics
by
simply
gating
them
off
allowing
only
the
drum
that
is
struck
to trigger
the
gate.
In
or-
der
to keep
the
isolation
between
the
drums,
the
threshold
level
must
be
set to the
point
at
which
only
that
particular
drum
will
trigger
the
gate.
However,
if
the
threshold
level
is
set
to high,
the
natural
dynamics
of the
drum
can
be
lost. Inserting
an
equalizer
into
the
KEY
in-
put
on the
363X will
enable
the
gate to
respond
to
signals
specifically
tailored
for
each drum.
For
example,
if the
snare
drum
hit
causes
the
gate used
for
the hi-hat
to open
the
gate,
a
par-
allel
feed from
the
hi-hat
into an
equalizer
and
then into
the KEY
input
of
the 363X will
allow
only
the
hi-hat
hit
to
open the
gate. This
is
achieved
by
emphasizing
the
frequencies in
the
hi-hat
range
so the
gate only
responds
to the
se-
lected
frequencies
and
bandwidth.
When no
signal
connection
is
made
to KEY
input
connec-
tor
and
the
KEY
ENGAGE
switch
is
depressed,
the
363X
will
not
function.
See
page
13
for
the
proper
connections.
I.
KEY
MONITOR
switch
The
KEY
MONITOR
switch,
when
selected,
al-
lows
the
signal
at
the KEY
input
connector
to
be
monitored
at
the
output
connector.
This
pro-
vides
a quick
method
of
"dialing
in"
the
signal
that
will
ultimately
trigger
the
gate.