(16) HIGH BAND rotary control (12 Band)
This adjusts the amount of compression applied to the high frequencies in the signal; the further clockwise the
control is set, the more the dynamic range of the high end will be squeezed.
The compressor section of the 12 Band series uses two separate studio quality, dedicated dynamics controller
integrated circuits, and has been specically designed for bass guitar due to the common problems often
experienced when using a normal, single band, compressor in this application.
With a standard compressor, the transition from non-compressed to compressed, i.e. crossing the threshold,
can often be abrupt and unnatural sounding, especially at high ratio settings. Also the normal pre-set attack
and release times always have to be a compromise between having it work fast enough to catch rapidly
changing signal levels (i.e. transients such as slapping techniques) or too fast which can cause low frequency
distortion.
To tackle these issues, the compressor on the 12 Band range has been designed as a dual band, soft-knee
compressor, with different attack and release times pre-set for each of the high or low bands, and separate
controls for the user to set the amount of compression applied to each band.
Dual band means that the signal is split into the high and low frequencies, each of which then goes through
separate compression circuits before being reconstructed.
The amount of compression of each band can be set by adjusting the LOW BAND and HIGH BAND controls.
This is similar to the sophisticated type of compression that is used for mastering whole tracks to prevent
unwanted pumping and breathing effects.
Soft-knee means that, above the threshold, compression is applied gradually, with the ratio increasing as the
input level goes up. The result is a smoother sounding compression than the normal hard-knee type.
Different attack and release times are pre-set for each band so that the low band works slow enough to prevent
distortion at low frequencies and the high band works fast enough to catch transients.
The simple single control for each band makes setting the desired amount of compression easy as it is effectively
controlling the threshold, ratio and make-up gain simultaneously.
This is considerably less complicated than setting up a studio compressor from scratch as most of the hard
work has been done by our engineers and incorporated into the circuitry.
The circuit has been tuned so there should be little nominal signal level difference when switching the
COMPRESSOR on and off, however, this is dependent on the correct setting of the INPUT GAIN control. If
you nd that the level increases too much when switching the COMPRESSOR on then slightly turn up the
INPUT GAIN. The opposite applies if the compressed sound is too low.
In this application a dual band compressor has several uses. If used solely for controlling the dynamic range,
it enables the bass player to switch between various playing styles, such as nger style, slapping or plectrum.
The circuit will compress as directed without distortion to the bottom end, or transients taking hold of the
whole signal level and causing pumping, which is very obtrusive on bass guitar.
Applying compression to just the low band will fatten up the bottom end without losing the attack characteristics.
It is a less processed sound than full range compression and works well in controlling the low frequencies,
allowing higher volumes without stressing power amps or speakers. It can also help to add denition to notes
within a run without loss of the attack dynamics.
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