5
1 INTRODUCTION
SETTING LEVELS
Setting proper levels is critical, but easy, with abundant meters to inform you about levels on the FM3.
INPUT LEVELS
The FM3 comes ready-to-use for the typical guitar with passive pickups. To check levels,
connect a guitar to INPUT 1. Choose your loudest pickup setting and set all the guitar
controls to “wide open.” Play loud, open chords to push the levels as you watch the
IN1[INSTRUMENT] meter LEDs. It’s OK to tickle the red LED once in a while, but if actual
clipping occurs, you must pad the input as follows:
Open the SETUP: I/O: Audio menu page.
Navigate to the INPUT 1 PAD parameter. Turn the VALUE knob to increase this setting. The
possible values are 0dB, 6dB, 12dB, and 18dB. Be aware that as you increase this setting you also
increase the noise floor, so set it as close to 0 as possible for the best signal-to-noise ratio.
Input 2 can be adjusted with its own Input 2 Pad parameter on the same menu page.
You can also monitor all levels on the Meters page of the Home menu (shown below).
Input Pad adjustments do not affect gain levels or what you hear. As you pad the input of the A/D
converter, the output is boosted by the same amount. This eliminates clipping but ensures unity gain.
OUTPUT LEVELS
Output levels are easy to monitor by
paging to the Meters page of the Home
page. Should your output levels be too
high, the OUT 1 CLIP or OUT 2 CLIP
LEDs on the front panel will light. If you are clipping the
outputs, you will need to lower the level INSIDE your
presets. The top panel OUT 1 knob comes after the
converters and only affects the level of what you hear.
Output 1 is ready to be connected to consumer
line level inputs (-10 dbV). If you are connecting to
professional-grade equipment operating at +4dBu, set
the nominal output levels as follows:
Page SETUP: I/O: Audio
Adjust Output 1: Output Level to +4dBu.
Learn more about the I/O Menu on p. 92
Section 7: 7 Leveling Presets is dedicated to the
subject of adjusting preset levels.
Output 2 is designed so that turning the OUT 2 knob all
the way up produces a unity gain signal.
The Meters page of the Home menu shows all I/O levels.
The Layout also has a Meters view showing block levels.
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